oneself.411
We each deal with a lot of uncertainty in life as we face the indefinite future. We don’t know what crisis waits next with our families, our jobs, or other things we haven’t thought of yet. For me these daily concerns often seem to merge into a vague and semiconscious anxiety. I am always better off when I take the time to deliberately and prayerfully focus on each concern and, with God’s help, formulate some kind of action plan. God wants to either take our worry away or help find us find a way to do something specific about it. Like the men of D-Day we find relief when we know what we face and what we have to do.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
October 2
On the eve of D-Day, General Eisenhower published a leaflet for every member of the invasion force, to inform, to inspire, and to seek God’s blessing:
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 194041. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good Luck! And let us beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.412
As we have seen before, national leaders were not reluctant to call their troops and nation to God during the crucial moments of World War II. D-Day was one of those times. The spiritual humility of America’s leaders and the prayerfulness of her citizens kept the nation focused on God, the true source of American unity and strength that had sustained the nation throughout its history.
I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
October 3
Bob Benvenuto enlisted in the Navy in 1943 as a seventeen-year-old. When he finished boot camp, he found his name on a roster of men heading to an unknown destination beginning an almost indescribable odyssey. It started, with more than a thousand others, on a waterfront pier in New York, where he waited for two weeks. Finally, his group was marched onto the
Queen Mary, which arrived in Scotland five days later. After another week he went by train to Southhampton, England, where he was herded into an open field early in the morning to wait all day in the rain for a ship to arrive. At 1:00 a.m., after his personal “longest day,” a large ship came into the loading ramp and opened huge clamshell doors. Bob went aboard LST (Landing Ship Tank) 279 to receive the biggest surprise of his life:
I was amazed! At two a.m. we went on board exhausted… And surprise of all surprises, awaiting us, in spite of the hour, were hot showers and a turkey dinner. The Captain welcomed us aboard and explained that he was aware of our ordeal and sorry for the delay in bringing the ship in. He had ordered the cooks to prepare the special dinner and directed the chief engineer to open the fresh water showers just for us. To make our welcome complete he advised and allowed us to sleep in til mid day. And so it was, that we became shipmates of, and part of the crew of the LST 279. The concern and compassion of the captain (Lt. James T. Beard) had created a bond that night between his new crewmen, ship’s company and ‘his’ ship, that lasted throughout the entire European tour of duty.413
This story gives food for thought on the subject of hospitality. Are we doing all we can to welcome guests into our churches? If we are truly mission-oriented, these are the most important people at every service, not our friends and fellow church members. The first experience of a visitor can shape his or her attitude toward the message and body of Christ for a long time to come. An unexpected kindness may have a lasting and even an eternal impact.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.
October 4
The troopship weighed anchor at 6:30 p.m., moving south into the gathering darkness. The night was not totally black and the outline of untold numbers of other ships could be seen on all sides. The lanes through the minefields had been cleared and marked, and the ships moved through uneventfully. At about 9:00 p.m. someone came on the ship’s public address system to read D-Day messages from the Navy admirals and General Eisenhower. Not long after, the ship moved past a line of battleships, waiting in the darkness.
Later still, one of the unit chaplains held a service on the quarterdeck. He stood on top of a packing crate as the troops gathered around. The ship was rolling by then in heavy seas and several men had to support the chaplain
