" … mourn with those who mourn."Romans 12:15 (NIV)

At 8:00 Tuesday morning, as my wife, daughter, and I were stuck in rush hour traffic around Minneapolis, we turned on the radio. It was then that we heard that an airplane had crashed into part of the World Trade Center in New York City. At that point, it was believed to have been a tragic accident.

Now, sadly, we know better.

In this time of national tragedy, many emotions swirl through our heads. When I first heard that terrorists were involved, I was angry. I wanted the United States military to strike back immediately against those responsible. My wife, on the other hand, was stricken with a profound sense of grief at the hundreds left dead, as well as their families.

I believe that this despicable act of cowardice and terror shows us that Satan is alive and well. We live in a world where Satan is a defeated, but still powerful, enemy. "Be self-controlled and alert," Peter warns us. "Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a lion waiting for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). From what we have seen this week, it's all too clear that Satan can and will work through the darkened hearts and souls of terrorists.

C.S. Lewis reminds us in The Screwtape Letters that we can make two mistakes about Satan. We either believe that he is more powerful than he is, or we ignore him entirely. " … our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12).

As Christians, we should pray for President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, political and military leaders in the U.S. and around the world, and most of all for the friends and family members of those who have lost loved ones.

On Sunday, too, many hurting and confused people will walk through church doors, some because they don't know where else to go. May we make it our mission to see that all those who seek comfort in the arms of Christ find it. If there has ever been a time for the love of Christ to shine forth in the midst of darkness and gloom, it is now.

— Matt Donnelly, for the ChristianityToday.com staff

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