A Word from Pastor Chuck
“...in a moment of time, they found that “today their souls were required.”
At Ground Zero, men formed a bucket brigade to remove debris as they searched for survivors. Photo by Skip Heitzig
Soon after the tragedies of September 11, 2001, Pastor Chuck wrote this article addressing the events. It was published in Calvary Chapel Magazine Issue 9, Fall 2001. As we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country, it’s good to review his thoughts at that time.
Pastor Chuck Smith
September 11, 2001, was a day of infamy, a day in history that no one will ever forget, and a day that altered both the sense of superiority and invulnerability that our country has maintained for the past several decades. But it’s the natural consequence of any nation that turns its back on God. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, saw these consequences with Israel. And, as we’ve often heard, “Those that fail to learn the mistakes of history are destined to repeat them.”
When Solomon dedicated the temple, he foresaw many of the problems that could come to the nation of Israel if they were to forsake the Lord. These consequences included a time of drought, famine, pestilence, even a time of war and of being held captive by their enemies. In summation, Solomon prayed, Lord, if the people forsake You and these things do happen, if they turn to you at this place, then hear from Your place in heaven and answer their prayers. And if they are carried away as captives to enemy territory, and if they turn toward this place and pray, then hear from Your place in heaven and answer their prayers.
After the temple dedication, Solomon is at home in his palace, quietly lying in bed. In the quietness of the night, the Lord spoke to Solomon, I’ve heard your prayer. And if these things do come to pass, the famine, the pestilence, and the war…“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
That timeless message is as applicable to the United States today as it was 3,000 years ago to Israel. It’s time we, as a nation, humble ourselves and pray, seeking God’s face and turning from our wicked ways because we do have that wonderful promise of God. He will hear from heaven, and He will heal our sick nation. Our nation has allowed abortion and has aborted over 30 million babies since the infamous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Our nation is the center of pornography for the world, has outlawed prayer from schools, and has ruled God out of the public sector. We are a sick nation and are beginning to experience some of the effects of that sickness.
We have removed ourselves from the place of God’s protection, and He has allowed this country to be struck by the enemy. God is under no obligation to protect us if we forsake Him. We have told God that we don’t want Him, that we don’t need Him, and that we can get along without Him. But, in a moment of time, this country has discovered that we do need God. And it’s time for us, as God’s people, to call upon Him, to seek His face, and to pray that God will use this as a wake up call to the nation in order to stir us to again turn our hearts toward the Lord.
“Benjamin Netanyahu remarked after the attacks, ‘Now the United States knows what it’s like to be Israel.’”
It is encouraging that so many of the leaders of the nation are calling on us to pray. Surely, we need to obey their injunctions, and we need to pray for God’s help and guidance as we seek to respond to this vicious attack that has come upon our shores. This should certainly also cause us to pray for Israel. They have been experiencing terrorist attacks for many years now. Benjamin Netanyahu remarked after the attacks, “Now the United States knows what it’s like to be Israel.”
Terrorism is a horrible and cowardly thing. Its sole purpose is to strike terror into the hearts of the people, to make them feel insecure, and to disrupt their way of life. This has clearly been accomplished, as we suddenly fear air travel, tall buildings, and even opening our mail. The sense of what is safe and where you can be safe has been “turned upside down.” But by the grace of God, we’re going to survive this, and with the help of God, we’re going to see, hopefully, a returning of our nation to the Lord.
We need to seek the Lord in humble repentance. It would be good for all of us to read the prayer of Daniel found in Daniel chapter nine. He was being held captive, just as Solomon had foreseen. As he was in captivity, he turned toward Jerusalem and prayed a prayer which would be appropriate for us to read, reflect upon, and emulate.
Several news commentators have asked, “Why would God allow such a thing to happen?” What they are suggesting is that God is to blame for what happened. But it isn’t God’s fault that we’ve turned our backs on Him. The Bible says, “If we forsake Him, He will forsake us.” We’ve been living such Godless and immoral lives here in the United States that we can’t blame God for this tragedy. We need to say, as Daniel said, “We’ve sinned. You’re righteous, Lord, and we’re the ones at fault.” And we need to take that to heart. God is righteous, and God is holy. We’re the ones at fault because of the way we as a nation have been treating God. May this truly be shocking enough to wake us up to the fact that we need to again call upon God and repent. We need to ask for God’s help and guidance in bringing to justice those that were responsible for this horrible deed.
The men and women that went to the World Trade Center the morning of September 11th had every intention of coming home that evening to their families. But in a moment of time, they found that “today their souls were required.” This tragedy has struck the heart of our nation. But it also needs to strike the hearts of every citizen of the country as well. Hearts need to be changed, and people need to return to faith and life in Jesus Christ. We need to pray for the families that have been directly impacted by this tragedy. We need to pray for our country and our leaders for wisdom, discernment, and the faith to know where both of these come from. We need to pray that we will wake up to the fact that we have forsaken the Lord and that we’ve turned our backs on Him. We’ve sinned against the Lord, and we’ve told Him that we don’t want Him to interfere with our lives here in America. But we need God’s help if this country is to have a future and a hope.
Let’s pray that this tragedy will stir us as a nation to turn back to God and to call upon Him in our time of need. Let’s pray that our nation’s terrible downward spin toward a moral abyss will be reversed and that we will turn away from the world and turn toward the Lord. It has never been more urgent that we all commit ourselves to pray that the Lord will touch and heal our land.
Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 27 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
© 2026 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.
