Verbatum Transcript of Billy Graham's Message
Given on the
National Day of Prayer and Remembrance
The National Cathedral
Washington, D. C.
Friday, September 14, 2001

                                  President and Mrs. Bush, I want to say a
                                  personal word on behalf of many people.
                                  Thank you, Mr. President, for calling this
                                  Day of Prayer and Remembrance. We
                                  needed it at this time. 

                                  We come together today to reffirm our
                                  conviction that God cares for us,
                                  whatever our ethnic, religious or political
                                  background may be. 

                                  The Bible says that He’s "the God of all comfort, who comforts us 			          in our troubles." 

                                  No matter how hard we try words simply cannot express the horror,
                                  the shock, and the revulsion we all feel over what took place in this
                                  nation on Tuesday morning. September 11 will go down in our
                                  history as a day to remember. 

                                  Today we say to those who masterminded this cruel plot, and to
                                  those who carried it out, that the spirit of this nation will not be
                                  defeated by their twisted and diabolical schemes. Some day those
                                  responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our
                                  Congress have so forcefully stated. 

                                  But today, we especially come together in this service to confess…
                                  our need of God. We've always needed God from the very
                                  beginning of this nation, but today we need Him especially. We're
                                  facing a new kind of enemy. We're involved in a new kind of
                                  warfare and we need the help of the Spirit of God. The Bible
                                  words are our hope: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever
                                  present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth
                                  give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" 

                                  But how do we understand something like this? Why does God
                                  allow evil like this to take place? Perhaps that is what you are
                                  asking now. You may even be angry at God. I want to assure you
                                  that God understands these feelings that you may have. 

                                  We've seen so much on our television, on our--heard on our radio, 			          stories that bring tears to our eyes and make us all feel a sense of 			          anger. But God can be trusted, even when life seems at its darkest. 

                                  But what but what are some of the lessons we can learn? 

                                  First, we are reminded of the mystery and reality of evil. 

                                  I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows
                                  tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the
                                  answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by
                                  faith, that God is sovereign, and He’s a God of love and mercy and
                                  compassion in the midst of suffering. The Bible says that God is
                                  not the author of evil. It speaks of evil as a "mystery." In first
                                  Thessalonians 2:7 it talks about the mystery of iniquity. The Old
                                  Testament prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all
                                  things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" He asked that
                                  question, "Who can understand it?" And that’s one reason we each
                                  need God in our lives. 

                                  The lesson of this event is not only about the mystery of iniquity 			          and evil, but secondly, it’s a lesson about our need for each other. 

                                  What an example New York and Washington have been to the
                                  world these past few days! None of us will ever forget the pictures
                                  of our courageous firefighters and police, many of whom have lost
                                  friends and colleagues, or the hundreds of people attending or
                                  standing patiently in line to donate blood. A tragedy like this could
                                  have torn our country apart, but instead, it has united us and we’ve
                                  become a family. So those perpetrators who took this on to tear us
                                  apart, it has worked the other way. It’s backlash, it’s backfired.
                                  We are more united than ever before. I think this was exemplified in
                                  a very moving way when the members of our Congress stood
                                  shoulder to shoulder the other day and sang, "God Bless America."

                                  Finally, difficult as it may be for us to see right now -- this event can
                                  give a message of hope -- hope for the present, and hope for the
                                  future. 

                                  Yes, there is hope. There’s hope for the present because I believe
                                  the stage has already been set for a new spirit in our nation. 

                                  One of the things we desperately need is a spiritual renewal in this
                                  country. We need a spiritual revival in America. And God has told
                                  us in His Word, time after time, that we are to repent of our sins
                                  and we're turn to Him and He will bless us in a new way. 

                                  But, there is also hope for the future because of God's promises.
                                  As a Christian, I have hope, not just for this life, but for heaven and
                                  the life to come. And many of those people who died this past
                                  week are in heaven right now, and they wouldn't want to come
                                  back. It's so glorious and so wonderful. And that's the hope for all of
                                  us who put our faith in God. I pray that you will have this hope in
                                  your heart. 

                                  This event reminds us of the brevity and the uncertainty of life. We
                                  never know when we too will be called into eternity. I doubt if even
                                  one of those people who got on those planes, or walked into the
                                  World Trade Center or the Pentagon last Tuesday morning thought
                                  it would be the last day of their lives. They didn’t…It didn't occur to 		          them. And that's why each of us needs to face our own spiritual 			          need and commit ourselves to God and His will now. 

                                  Here in this majestic National Cathedral we see all around us
                                  symbols of the Cross. For the Christian, I'm speaking for the
                                  Christian now, the Cross tells us that God understands our sin and
                                  our suffering, for He took upon Himself in the person of Jesus
                                  Christ our sins and our suffering. And from the Cross, God
                                  declares, "I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and
                                  the pains that you feel. But I love you." 

                                  The story does not end with the Cross, for Easter points us beyond
                                  the tragedy of the Cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is
                                  hope for eternal life, for Christ has conquered evil and death, and
                                  hell. Yes, there is hope. 

                                  I've become an old man now and I've preached all over the world
                                  and the older I get the more I cling to that hope that I started with
                                  many years ago and began  ….and..proclaimed it in many languages 		          to many parts of the world. 

                                  Several years ago at the National Prayer Breakfast here in
                                  Washington, Ambassador Andrew Young who had just gone
                                  through the tragic death of his wife, closed his talk with a quote
                                  from the old hymn, "How Firm a Foundation ... ." 

                                  We all watched in horror as planes crashed into the… the steel and 			         glass of the World Trade Center. Those majestic towers, built on 			         solid foundations, were examples of the prosperity and creativity of 			         America. When damaged, those buildings eventually plummeted to
                                  the ground, imploding in upon themselves. Yet, underneath the
                                  debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed. Therein lies the truth
                                  of that old hymn that Andrew Young quoted, "How Firm a
                                  Foundation ... ." Yes, our nation has been attacked, buildings
                                  destroyed, lives lost. 

                                  But now we have a choice: whether to implode and disintegrate
                                  emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation -- or, whether
                                  we choose to become stronger through all of this struggle -- to
                                  rebuild on a solid foundation. And I believe that we are in the
                                  process of starting to rebuild on that foundation. That foundation is
                                  our trust in God. That's what this service is all about and in that faith
                                  we have the strength to endure something as difficult and
                                  horrendous as what we have experienced this week. 

                                  This has been a terrible week with many tears but also has been a
                                  week of great faith. Churches all across the country have called
                                  prayer meetings and today is a day that they are celebrating not
                                  only in this country but in many parts of the world. 

                                  And in the words of that familiar hymn that Andrew Young quoted 
                                  it says: 

                                  "Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
                                  For I am thy God, and will  give thee aid;
                                  I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
                                  Upheld by my righteous, they righteous, omnipotent hand." 
                                  My prayer today is that we will feel the loving arms of God 				          wrapped around us, and will know in our hearts that He will never 			         forsake us as we trust in Him. 

                                  We also know that God is going to give wisdom and courage and
                                  strength to the President and those around him. And this is going
                                  to be a day that we will remember as a day of victory. 

                                  May God bless you all.