20 Years Later: Never Forget The 9/11/2001 Victims Of Terror And Praying For Divine Preservation And Vindication
Prayer
Righteous Judge of all the Universe,
We come before You on this somber day, the 20-year anniversary of a diabolical evil against our nation. And this evil was not perpetrated against our nation only. But against You, Lord, against You alone did these men of violence commit this horrific evil. These men profaned Your Name by committing this atrocity, in what they claim to be Your Name, in the sight of all nations.
Lord, we don’t want to focus on the evil today. It is Yours to avenge. We thank You and praise You “O LORD, that You hear the desire of the afflicted; You will strengthen their heart; You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more” (Psalm 10:17-18).
Today, we commit our present and future to You Sovereign Lord. You have given us the privilege of prayer, so we bring our concerns before You with the confident hope that You will respond.
Father, You are not limited by time, and this day, September 11, 2021, provides a heavenly shadow of what Moses meant when he wrote, “For You, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours” (Psalm 90:4). For those of us old enough to remember when the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks happened, it seems like the last 20 years have truly been a passing day.
As thousands of names were read at the Ground Zero ceremonies today, we can imagine another heavenly shadow—the reading of names written in the Book of Life. As today’s names represented people from every corner of the globe, so in heaven, gathered around Your throne, will be people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
As we look back at this tragedy, we can also look forward to the hope of heaven, where “You will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Thank You for those who spoke truth boldly today while reading the names of loved ones and lamenting their unwarranted absences. Certainly truth, and nothing else, will set us free (John 8:32). One young man spoke of the tragic situation that “cowards did to our city.” Another young woman read the name of her father and spoke of “this place where you were murdered.”
Lord, throughout generations to come, let us never forget the victims of 9/11/2001 Islamic terror. Let us never forget that the United States was a victim of Islamic terror, and has been many times. And as a nation, let us never allow the truth to be whitewashed. Help us to never forget the cowards who murdered our fellow citizens in New York, Shanksville, at the Pentagon, and on those four airplanes.
Father, on behalf of all the family and friends who lost loved ones on 9/11/2001, we thank You for the enduring love and precious memories they hold in their hearts. We thank You for the opportunity to hear many of those memories. A cousin who was a best friend. Grandchildren not yet born. A brother who liked the song Hotel California. A Dad who had taken his boys to get soccer cleats the day before. Oh Father, truly what matters in life is family, faith, and friends, and the love we share in the details of common days. May these memories be kept alive as they are retold for generations to come.
Father, we pray for all those who lost loves ones during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States—parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, cousins, co-workers, brothers in arms, policemen, firemen, first responders, Trade Tower office workers, pilots, flight attendants, travelers, delivery people, window washers, and the list goes on. True Americans. The fabric of America. Help us to never forget.
We thank You for those who escaped the devastation. And we pray for the many who still suffer because of these evil attacks. So many have died with cancer and other health complications and many still deal with illnesses. We ask You to send healing and peace to each of these families. And most of all, may they sense Your Presence with them. Help us to never forget.
Father, we thank You for our troops who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the United States from animals who drive planes into buildings filled with innocent people.
We pray for all those who have lost loved ones who served in military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to defend U.S. freedom against this sinister ideology. Father, we remember the 13 fallen heroes from only a few days ago. Help us to never forget.
We pray for all of our military servicemen and women who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, who suffer from PTSD and physical injuries of all kinds. Father, speak healing into their minds, hearts, and bodies. May each soldier feel Your presence in an undeniable way and may the efficacy of Your love bring them peace and wholeness.
Father, we know our government and mainstream media have been lying to us for 20 years about the nature of Islam and about the hundreds of attacks that have been attempted throughout the world, against all western societies. Lord, we plead for Your protection over our nation and our allies across the seas. Protect us from Islamic terror and their pagan quest for totalitarianism. Send Your chemo-therapy upon this cancerous teaching.
Almighty God, with David we pray Psalm 140, interceding for our nation, asking for divine deliverance—preservation and vindication—against both radical Islam and the illegitimate communist regime occupying the offices of our federal government:
O LORD, rescue us from evil people. Protect us from those who are violent,
2 those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.
3 Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.
4 O LORD, keep us out of the hands of the wicked. Protect us from those who are violent, for they are plotting against us.
5 The proud have set a trap to catch us; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way.
6 Your people said to the LORD, “You are my God!” Listen, O LORD, to our cries for mercy!
7 O Sovereign LORD, the strong One who rescued us, You protected us on the day of battle.
8 LORD, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.
9 Let our enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for us.
10 Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
11 Don’t let liars prosper here in our land. Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.
12 But we know the LORD will help those they persecute; He will give justice to the poor.
13 Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence. Psalm 140
Praise You Father. Thank You for hearing our prayer. Thank You in advance for responding with justice against the violent, wicked, and liars.
Lord Jesus, teach us how to be powerful intercessors for our nation and the nations of the world. Help us to pray consistently and with great discernment. Help us to see Your visions and hear Your revelation to guide our prayers so that we may pray more effectively. Help all of Your people in our nation to rise up together and learn to pray in power. Help us to teach our children how to pray for their nation as well. Help us all to understand what it means to be a nation whose God is the Lord.
And help us to never forget September 11, 2001. Help us to never forget the heroism, selflessness, suffering, death, and sacrifice that happened on that day, and that continues as a result of that day.
Help us to never forget this overwhelming earthly manifestation of the cosmic powers of darkness and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Though evil will continue until You return, help us to never forget that the enemy stands defeated. Therefore, in the face of any storm, amid raging winds and rolling waves, we can shout, “Victory! You can do me no harm, for Christ the mighty Savior is on board!”
In the Name of Jesus Christ, the One called Faithful and True, Amen.
20-Year Anniversary 9/11 Links
- Steve Bannon’s War Room Pandemic 9/11 Special features the reading of names in Shanksville and most of the reading of names in New York at Ground Zero – 9/11 Special Part 1 and 9/11 Special Part 2.
- Regent University hosted 9/11: A 20-Year Retrospective, with many well-known guests both remembering the tragedy of 9/11/2001 and looking at current and future terror threats, and understanding and responding to violent Islamism.
- NY Post article highlighting some of the 9/11 grandchildren. Many other NY Post 20-year anniversary article links can be found at the bottom.
- Read about the 9/11 Survivor Tree and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. The Museum’s website hosts a “Memorial Guide.” Here, a name or group can be searched. The site will then show the location of the person’s name on the 911 Memorial, as well as a photograph of the person and their circumstance in the tragedy, i.e. “on Flight 11…”, “in north tower…”.
