The killing of the Son of God was more horrific, more terrible, more wicked, more horrible, than what we’ve just seen. In the interview, Pastor John goes deep, explaining how God can, “in his sovereign, overarching providence of the world, ordain that something be permitted or caused” - even a “massive sin” like 9/11 - “and yet disapprove of the very thing that he has permitted or ordained.” The cross of Jesus Christ exemplified this truth, because, says Piper, “I don’t think New York - the hijacking, the terrorism - was a greater sin than the killing of the Son of God. God was shaking the foundations of America and calling sinners to come to Christ - a global call not just for Americans but also for Palestinians, Saudis, and Afghans. Pastor John explains why 9/11 was a call for national humbling, a wake-up call. The interview covers the importance of grieving and creating space for sorrow, yet a sorrow under God’s all-encompassing sovereignty. We want to share the recording with you today on Ask Pastor John, on this twentieth anniversary. Where was God on 9/11? There, for about forty minutes, he spoke wisdom into the shock and sorrow. The following morning, Pastor John was called on to be one of the Christians who would speak into the tragedy - for him, on KTIS, a local radio station. It was announced on local radio stations under the title “ A Service of Sorrow, Self-Humbling, and Steady Hope in our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.” It was an evening for mourning and prayer. A 7:00 prayer gathering would be held that evening at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Then the pastors gathered the staff and planned out the week. They asked God to pour out mercy “for wisdom in the mouths of Christian spokesmen who will be called upon to say something” and “for a widespread awakening from banal pursuits.” The pastors interceded for about an hour total, mingled with radio updates. “We listened and turned it off and prayed and listened and prayed,” recalled Piper. They pulled out a radio and put it in the middle of the table. Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, as the news broke on Tuesday morning, Pastor John gathered his pastoral team into a conference room. The shock of that day remains fresh, even twenty years later. I remember Air Force One flying the president to the military base sixteen miles from me. I remember footage of jubilation and celebration in foreign places. I remember people pulled from rubble piles. I remember seeing the Pentagon on fire, evidence of a third attack, and unconfirmed rumors of a fourth flight that crashed into a field somewhere. I remember street-level recordings emerging, the sound of glass raining down on concrete, and the sight of people fleeing from grey clouds of dust and copy paper pouring between buildings. I remember finding my way to a television in time to watch the towers fall. I remember looking up into the atmosphere for confirmation of what was unfolding 1,200 miles away, and finding a clear sky emptied of jets and condensation trails. I remember hearing fighter jets were scrambled to the sky if needed to shoot down hijacked jets. I remember the roll call, as the flight paths of the last twenty commercial jets in the air were anxiously narrated on radio. I remember the FAA grounding all flights immediately. Twenty minutes later, the South Tower was hit by Flight 175, and all doubt was removed. Other rumors said it was an accidental plane crash, though doubtful on such a clear day.
I was roofing my house that Tuesday morning, radio on, when national broadcasters broke in to announce that the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was on fire. And with it began a nightmare no one who lived through it will forget.
Twenty years ago today, at 8:14 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 was highjacked.
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