Billy Graham spoke at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service held on Sept. 14, 2001, at the National Cathedral in Washington. Near the beginning of his message, he reminded the nation: “No matter how hard we try, words simply cannot express the horror, shock and revulsion we all feel over what took place in this nation on Tuesday morning. Sept. 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. Someday, those responsible will be brought to justice, as President Bush and our congress have so forcefully said.
“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’s 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 God understands these feelings that you may have.
“We’ve seen so much on our televisions, heard on our radios 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.” (Click here to read the full sermon.)