June 23
In 1943 Dean Willard Sperry of Harvard University published a small booklet titled, Prayers for Private Devotions in War-Time. One of his prayers, dated to the seventh century, addressed the “Spirit of Prayer”:
Dispel for this hour, O Lord, the manifold distractions of the world; that we may be able with quiet minds to receive the promptings of thy still small voice.246
The inspiration for this prayer clearly comes from a story in the Old Testament about the prophet Elijah’s encounter with God on Mount Horeb:
The Lordsaid, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lordis about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lordwas not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lordwas not in the fire. And after the fire came a gently whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
This story in no way limits how God communicates to man. He can and does speak in any way he pleases. He has revealed himself in Scripture and often speaks to us as we read and study it. He used thunder when addressing Moses. If he ever speaks to us that way, we don’t have to worry about hearing him. However, we know that God speaks most often to us quietly as we pray. He wants us to come to him in prayer and wants us to listen to him in return. Unfortunately, we often allow God’s voice to be drowned out by the noise in our lives. Today, it is even worse than when Dean Sperry offered his prayer in wartime. Today we are bombarded by news, entertainment, and advertising media that have made a science of commanding our attention. Our “manifold distractions” have multiplied many times over. To have a meaningful relationship with our heavenly Father we must make quiet time and a “quiet mind” our absolutely first priorities.
Be still, and know that I am God.
June 24
The bombing run over Ploesti was a disaster. Vaughn Gordy’s B-24 was riddled with flak and two engines were knocked out. One crew member was killed and several others were wounded. As the aircraft started losing speed and altitude, a decision had to be made about the five-hundred-mile flight home over water. Could they make it on two engines? The pilot and engineer finally decided they could. Gordy said, “With fingers crossed and an appeal to God’s help we headed across the Adriatic.”247 The crew started throwing every loose item overboard to lighten the ship.
Forty miles later, one of the remaining engines caught fire, and the pilot immediately announced, “We’re going to ditch.”248 As the B-24 struck the water with a violent crash, Gordy was knocked unconscious for a moment and woke up to find himself in shoulder-deep water. Someone helped him out the top hatch and into a rubber raft where he soon saw his airplane sink beneath the surface. Fortunately, rescue came soon as an Air Force seaplane appeared over the horizon. Gordy summed up the incident:
Four hours after the crash we were back in Italy. Final tally: our tail-gunner was killed in the crash and went down with the plane; our waist-gunner was seriously injured, but survived; but the rest of the crew went back to work the next day, shaken but grateful.249
After ditching at sea, some time off would seem to be in order. Bomber Command, however, seemed to believe that crash survivors should just get over the trauma and get back to work. It is undoubtedly true that the longer you brood about a pain or fear, the harder it will be to get over it later. This applies especially in our relationships. It is always better to clear the air sooner rather than later. Instead of letting a sore spot fester, forgive someone or ask them for forgiveness, and get on with your next assignment.
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
June 25
Horace Maycock was taken prisoner on Christmas morning 1942. He soon arrived in Camp 70, south of Rome, with thousands of other captured soldiers. Describing this traumatic experience, he said:
It is difficult to convey the true meaning of loss of liberty. Those who have experienced it can fully understand the complete turnaround involved, in which a name becomes a number, the man a machine. It is not easy to adapt to an inflicted mechanical atmosphere, to be thrust suddenly into a world that, at first sight, appears devoid of any understanding of human rights and feelings.250
Under the brutal conditions of captivity, this soldier did find a way to fill the void of human understanding. He and many others made their way to the “churches” organized in their camp. There were Wesleyan, Anglican, and Catholic groups, each of which was a source of strength and encouragement to those who participated.
In November 1943 Maycock was moved to Germany with sixty other prisoners to work on a railroad construction site. As Christmas approached, he took it upon himself to organize a church for this small group. They were all billeted in one room, and this became the sanctuary. He made a rough wooden cross. His only other resources were three old hymnbooks, from which he copied songs onto sheets of black-out paper. With one violin for accompaniment, he held the first service on Christmas morning.
The image of this worship service comes to mind when I am sitting comfortably in my own Episcopal church, surrounded by stained glass, organ music, silver, and linen. I wonder if we come close to the spiritual depth of these men worshipping under much more austere conditions. Probably not. In their circumstance, the need for God was obvious and urgent. Truly, in this sense, blessed are the poor in spirit. We can only approximate this urgency by reminding ourselves of our fallen nature and our constant need for the forgiveness and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
