Benescke Janse van Rensburg

With the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America on Monday, various memorial services were held in memory of loved ones who died in 2001. At Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers once stood, the names of people who died were read out while a bell rang in the background. This is tragic. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attack.

Many times as I was watch the documentary programs broadcast around this time each year about the 9/11 attack, I sit in amazement of the many stories of hope - people who were supposed to be on one of the flights but arrived too late at the airport or someone who overslept that was supposed to be in the building where the plane hit. Yesterday, a listener shared during our radio programme of his brother who was supposed to lead a meeting in the Twin Towers that day. His wife went prematurely into labor and he had to cancel his appointment. All his colleagues who were there died that day.

In our own lives, from time to time, we experience such moments of initial disappointment that only makes sense later on and become moments of gratitude when we realize that God protected or saved us from wrong decisions that might have harmed us. I know of people who found out a week before leaving for Phuket that there was a problem with their booking and it was therefore cancelled. They were extremely disappointed. Ten days later, they sat shocked and relieved before the television, watching how the 2004 tsunami destroyed the hotel they were going to stay in.

In Proverbs 16: 9 we read: “A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” Also in Psalm 139: 16-17 we read: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. . . How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.” Also in Romans 8:28, we read:  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

God holds the universe in His hands – also each of our lives. He knows the future and we can trust Him with it. So, instead of getting upset if things do not turn out as planned, let’s start thanking Him for being in control of our lives. He sees the bigger picture and He is always faithful. God bless.

Father God, thank you for knowing the future. Please help me to trust You with my life and future - especially if things do not work out as I hoped. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

• Assignment for the day: Think about moments in your life that looked bad but that you are now thankful for. Remember to thank God for it (and share it with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

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