a deep religious conviction. He said in part:
In my earlier life as a skeptic I would have looked on these statements as a rationalization for lack of success. Now, as a Christian, I look at the general’s thoughts as a simple acknowledgment that human beings are not in complete control of any situation. We are always confronted with unforeseen acts of nature, especially human nature. God does not always act to smooth our way or to ensure our success. He acts in accordance with his own plans and purpose, which we often do not understand. We can only pray constantly that our actions are in accordance with his will.
Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble… You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.
April 14
General Eisenhower arrived at the command post near Sidi bou Zid in central Tunisia well after midnight. In the cramped confines of a personnel carrier General McQuillan briefed him on the dispositions of Combat Command A units and German activity in the sector. Other than a discussion about minefields, the commanding general had little to say. Finally, Eisenhower stepped out of the personnel carrier into a still, moonlit night. Nearby a group of men were gathered. As he approached he heard an infantry captain leading his men in prayer:
We do not pray for victory, not even for our individual safety. But we pray for help that none of us may let a comrade down—that each of us may do his duty to himself, his comrades, and his country, and so be worthy of our American heritage.138
The general silently wept on hearing these words. It is hard not to be moved by such simple eloquence. This young officer’s prayer was genuine and heartfelt, and it reflected a great truth about combat. Men don’t fight as much for a higher cause as they do for each other. It’s hard to imagine a more meaningful prayer for a soldier than, “God, help me to not let a buddy down.”
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
April 15
During the darkest days of World War II, Dean Willard Sperry of Harvard University compiled a book of prayers for wartime devotionals. Even though the nation’s enemies were victorious on all fronts and feelings against the Axis powers were running high, he included a special prayer calling the nation back to its Christian values:
O Peaceful Light, Redeemer of the universe, whose love embraces the whole world, we hear thy prayer from the Cross: “Father, forgive them.” In the name of the universal pardon, we dare to beseech the heavenly Father to give eternal peace to his enemies and ours… O Lord, do not condemn those who have persecuted us with their calumnies and their perfidy; be merciful toward all those whom we Christians have hardened without knowing it; may our holy prayer be for them a mystery of reconciliation. Amen.139
Dean Sperry was not a pacifist. He apparently saw no contradiction between fighting our enemies and asking God to forgive them. I believe that in our own lesser conflicts we can do the same and more. We can ask God to forgive those who have wronged us, and we can also forgive them ourselves. Even when we have to stand up against wrong behavior, we should be not be motivated by hate or anger. Such a forgiving attitude will often be beyond our capacity as human beings. We have to have a resource far greater than ourselves to act with love in the face of injustice. The only resource powerful enough to give us this kind of strength is the love of Jesus Christ within our hearts.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?
April 16
Capt. Albert Hoffman was a chaplain with the 34th Infantry Division during the North African campaign. As one of the first Americans in the war, he began to redefine the traditional role of the combat chaplain. He didn’t neglect religious services when appropriate, but he felt that his primary duty was in the front line with his men. Historian Patrick Skelly wrote:
He held (that) the unaided wounded lying out in the field had the highest call on the chaplain’s services. Then front-line troops would fight from greater moral motivation from knowing that their accredited representative of religion was with them personally.
Hoffman, although a quiet nonbelligerent man, simply had a front-line temperament. And the front line troops throughout the regiment would tell one another, “He’s our guy.” They thought of him as a personal possession, the way they did a good combat officer.140
Albert Hoffman provided an example to his men and to us of the most effective form of evangelism. Assigned to a combat unit, he concluded that he would be most effective if he shared the same risks as those he hoped to influence. He didn’t try to be a “holy man” or to stand apart from his soldiers. By sharing everything with them, he became one of them. From this position he was able to influence these men spiritually to an extent that would have been impossible otherwise. The apostle Paul first described this approach to ministry. It is the approach best used by all Christians, whether ordained or not, in bringing others to Christ.
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
