evaluating those under him. In March 1943 he wrote his son at West Point: “ I have observed very frequently that it is not the man who is so brilliant (who) delivers in time of stress and strain, but rather the man who can keep on going indefinitely, doing a good straightforward job.”155
This statement is revealing in that it also describes Eisenhower’s own qualities as commander in chief. Early in the war, even though many of his deficiencies were exposed, he was honest with himself and worked methodically to improve. He became more and more effective as he honed his own uncomplicated style and began to focus on simple themes: Allied unity and the certainty of victory.
Fortunately, God does not always require brilliance from us in service to his kingdom. When we humbly seek to determine his will, we may find times when we are called to great tasks. More often, however, it is the simple work in support of our family, friends, and church that needs to be done with patience and consistency. A dependable, straightforward job is usually the key to pleasing God.
His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
April 27
Alan Moorehead was a renowned war correspondent for the London
Yellow rocks, saltbush, grey earth and this perfect beach was the eternal background wherever you looked in the north of the Western Desert. Except at spots along the coast and far inland it never even achieved those picturesque rolling sandhills which Europeans seem always to associate with deserts. It had fresh colours in the morning, and immense sunsets. One clear hot cloudless day followed another in endless progression. A breeze stirred sometimes in the early morning, and again at night when one lay on a camp bed in the open, gazing up into a vaster and more brilliant sky than one could ever have conceived in Europe… there was a sense of rest and relaxation in the tremendous silence, especially at night, and now the silence is still the best thing I remember of the desert, the silence, the cool nights, the clear hot days and the eternal flatness of everything.156
When I first read this description, I was impressed with its almost biblical quality. On reflection, this is no accident. The historical events presented in the Bible take place over practically the same desert as the one described here. The desert was not only the scene of many biblical events, it was also a powerful metaphor. Practically surrounding Israel, it was a place of hardship, punishment, and testing. God’s salvation was likened to the gift of water and new life to a parched earth. The desert was a place of special significance to Jesus, where he found respite and a place of blessed solitude. Just like each one of us, he needed alone time, to reflect and to pray, and to renew his relationship with the Father. We should each seek out our own ‘desert time’ in contemplative prayer.
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
April 28
Chaplains serving in war zones seldom saw the inside of church buildings. A lot of ingenuity was required to get their special work done. One combat chaplain described his places of worship:
During these months I held services in every conceivable location—on the open deck, in the men’s mess hall, aboard ship, on the cargo hatch of a sunken Liberty ship, aboard a floating pier, ashore, in the open, in the rain, and under tarpaulined shelter… These services were in many ways far more real than those held in the greatest cathedrals.157
During my military career I marched in countless ceremonies. The ultimate in pageantry was an evening parade under spotlights on the White House lawn. I also vividly recall another parade of the same military format, but devoid of pageantry. On Okinawa, where my Marine ancestors fought during World War II, I marched in a combat review with other Marines about to deploy for combat. This parade featured helmets, packs, weapons, and camouflage. Even though the audience was small, it was one of my most moving experiences.
The common denominator of these stories is found in the attitude of the participants. When soldiers or saints face the urgency of their mission and realize their vulnerability, their ceremonies become intensely meaningful. At the same time, the outward form loses significance. When we know what we have to do, and we realize that the capacity to do it can only come from God, worship becomes urgent and real. This is the attitude we need every time we come before his altar. It makes no difference whether that altar is in a tent or a cathedral.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
April 29
From 1935 until his death on Okinawa in 1945, Ernie Pyle was a roving correspondent for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain. He was never a “big picture” kind of guy. Before the war his stories focused on out-of-the-way places and the people who lived in them. His style had the flavor of personal letters home. During the war he traveled with U.S. forces in just about every theater, and he never changed his approach. Early in the war, United Press writer Reynolds Packard, who considered himself a “more serious” war correspondent, gave him some advice:
“You’re on the wrong track. Nobody cares about these GI stories you write from the line. You’ve got to learn how to analyze the communiques that come out of Eisenhower’s headquarters. That’s the secret of being a war correspondent. Figuring out from all that what is really going on.”
“You’re right, Pack, absolutely right,” said Ernie Pyle miserably. “I’m a lousy correspondent. I know it. I’m trying. Believe me. I’m trying. But I just can’t seem to get that stuff straight.”
“I know,” said Packard heroically. “It takes a lot of experience.”158
