You are There
Psalm 139:7-10; "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me."
I walked into the dining room at the assisted living facility in Georgia where my Mom has just relocated. Attempting to help her get to know some of the residents, I introduce myself and her to several others who are sitting around in the room. I noticed a man who was apparently blind as he walked carefully into the room, wearing a pair of dark shades and carrying a walking cane. He took a seat and I stepped over to introduce myself and Mom.
I found out that his name was Al, and he already knew Mom. He was a talker and we quickly became involved in a long conversation. He intrigued me right away with his optimism and openness to talk about his life. He discussed with us how he had come to live at the facility and how he had lost his wife just shortly after moving there.
After a few minutes, he began to share that he had been in the US Navy during World War II. I listened intently as he told me his story.
"I was training at the Great Lakes Training Center when they asked if anyone wanted to be part of the Armed Guard. I asked a friend what was the Armed Guard to which he responded, 'You just man a big gun someplace like Detroit.' The next day when we lined up for roll call, they asked if anyone wanted to be in the Armed Guard. I raised my hand and was immediately packed off to a Liberty ship that was carrying cargo from New York City to Russia.
We were part of a large convoy of ships loaded with supplies bound for the USSR under armed escort to keep us from being torpedoed by enemy submarines or attacked and sunk by an enemy ship. We had a large gun on the Liberty ship that we took shifts manning during the voyage.
One night when we were 200 miles off the coast of Iceland, I took my post on the gun at 8:00 in the evening. I quickly noticed that there were no other ships around. I asked one of the other guys nearby where the other ships had gone. He replied, 'We're fourteen miles behind because we had an equipment malfunction.' I immediately replied, 'If we're going to get torpedoed, then now's the time for it because we are unprotected.' No sooner had I made that statement than two torpedoes slammed into the boat.
The next thing that I recall is waking up floating in the middle of the North Atlantic thanks to my life preserver. As I looked up, I saw the sinking ship moving away from me as the current carried me away into the night. I thought to myself, 'This is it! This is how it will end. I wonder if I will freeze to death before a shark gets me.'
Just then a life raft filled with crewmembers came around the back side of the boat. One of them saw the blinking red light on my life vest and they rowed toward me. Minutes later, they dragged me into the boat. I was nearly dead from exposure to the freezing water.
In an hour or so, a British ship steamed up to rescue us. They had heard the sound of the torpedoes and knew that we had been hit. They hoisted me up in a cargo net since my legs would no longer work and placed me in the engine room where the heat of the engine would keep me warm. I spent months recovering in England before being sent back to America.
There's one thing that I can tell you. When you're floating helpless and alone in the middle of the vast ocean that stretches endlessly in any direction, and someone looks out across it to find and rescue you, then you know that there has to be a God in heaven. No one has to convince you that He exists and that His Hand has reached out into the void to grab you."
We can never escape from God's grace, no matter where we go. May we all find comfort resting in the hand of God and may we allow His will to be carried out in each of our lives, in our families, in our churches and in our nation. God bless you all and God bless America!
