“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” (Proverbs 24:19–20, KJV)

The United States of America is founded on the principle of individual freedom for all Americans. This includes the freedom of speech and the freedom to worship God (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5). We have been blessed with these liberties for the past 250 years.

The values we hold dear were directly challenged on September 11, 2001, by 19 jihadist terrorists of Al-Qaeda. After years of planning, they hijacked four commercial airplanes with innocent people on board and flew them into East Coast landmarks: the twin towers and the Pentagon. The cowardly attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, leaving Americans in shock. Our country had not been attacked on its continental soil since the Civil War.

In the ensuing years, it was determined that the mastermind of this heinous attack was Osama bin Laden (d. 2011), leader of Al-Qaeda. Long before this was known, bin Laden issued a fatwa—a formal legal opinion regarding sharia law—that ultimately resulted in the long-term War on Terror, causing the death of millions.

As Christians, we should remember there will always be evil men who directly oppose our Constitution and all that it stands for, and there will always be malice in this world (1 Peter 5:8; Mark 13:7). True peace is to be found only in the Prince of Peace, and we should trust Him to bring us strength (Psalm 56:3–4; Nehemiah 8:10).

Indeed, 9/11 is a graphic reminder that the world is now groaning in pain under the effects of sin and the Curse. Let’s endeavor to place our “affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV).

* Dr. Sherwin is a science news writer at the Institute for Creation Research. He earned an M.A. in invertebrate zoology from the University of Northern Colorado and received an honorary doctorate of science from Pensacola Christian College.