By Kenneth Sullivan
(All scriptures in this prayer are quoted from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.).
Dear God, our Heavenly Father,
On September 11, 2001, our nation faced a profound challenge when terrorists hijacked airlines, holding the passengers hostage and causing immense loss of life. On that day, the terrorists used the planes they hijacked to attack three locations: New York City, New York, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In New York City, two hijacked airplanes flown by terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, causing their collapse and killing about 2,753 people inside (www.britannica.com). In Arlington, another hijacked plane struck the Pentagon—a five-sided building housing the United States Department of Defense and the offices of the United States Armed Forces—resulting in 125 deaths within the Pentagon and 64 on the plane (www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Pentagon-Memorial). In Shanksville, the piloting terrorists intended to attack our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. However, brave passengers and crew fought back, attempting to regain control and report the hijacking. In response, the terrorists violently maneuvered the aircraft before crashing it into an empty field, where 40 lives were lost (www.nps.gov/flni/learn/historyculture/flight93story.htm). Three months after these attacks, on December 18, 2001, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution designating September 11th as Patriot Day, a national holiday. Since then, we Americans have observed this day each year to commemorate the lives lost in the World Trade Center’s collapse, the Pentagon attack, and the plane crash in Shanksville.
Therefore, Heavenly Father, our prayer is that Your Spirit and grace will be upon our nation as we observe Patriot Day, mourning the loss of our fellow citizens killed in these attacks. For those who lost families and coworkers, we pray that You will shine Your light of glory and grace on their darkest hour of grieving, healing their broken hearts and binding up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). Along with mourning, we also observe the holiday to thank You for establishing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—an agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security—and pray that You will bless the vital services they diligently provide for our airports and aircraft:
- Employing officers to screen passengers and luggage for any harmful or illegal items before boarding, and reporting security threats to air police.
- Establishing a Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) to hire air marshals who enforce laws on planes, maintain peace and order, investigate and apprehend passengers committing crimes, and provide extra security to safeguard the passengers and the crew members from future hijackers.
With the management of the TSA, we pray that passengers and crew members on every plane take refuge under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 36:7 and 57:1), where You will cover them with feathers of Your protection (Psalm 91:4).
In conclusion, Heavenly Father, may all the innocent lives taken away by terrorists always be remembered. In Jesus’ name. Amen—Kenneth Sullivan.