A pastor in England took...
Illustration
A pastor in England took leave of his congregation during WWI to be a chaplain to the
armed forces in France. He told of the horrible suffering he and others endured in artillery
bombardments, the charge of enemy armies, poison gas, and even bombs from tiny bi-
planes.
His time in the trenches severely tried his faith. Daily he would slosh through the mud or dust to take small gifts to the soldiers and to offer them the consolations of friendship and a prayer. Some days he existed without faith in God. As he dodged bullets and threw himself down to escape explosions, he said he did so opposite of the men who only prayed in times of danger. In his heart, during such times, he was complaining to God instead of asking for safety.
After the great war, he returned to his pastorate and was surprised, pleased, and enlightened when soldiers who'd been in his communicants' classes before the war came to see him. These men who'd survived the war each thanked him for having taught them that God doesn't rescue us from every danger, but that God is with us through all things. He was gratified to realize that his realistic grasp of the Christian faith had not only helped him through combat, but had also sustained others through senseless suffering.
His time in the trenches severely tried his faith. Daily he would slosh through the mud or dust to take small gifts to the soldiers and to offer them the consolations of friendship and a prayer. Some days he existed without faith in God. As he dodged bullets and threw himself down to escape explosions, he said he did so opposite of the men who only prayed in times of danger. In his heart, during such times, he was complaining to God instead of asking for safety.
After the great war, he returned to his pastorate and was surprised, pleased, and enlightened when soldiers who'd been in his communicants' classes before the war came to see him. These men who'd survived the war each thanked him for having taught them that God doesn't rescue us from every danger, but that God is with us through all things. He was gratified to realize that his realistic grasp of the Christian faith had not only helped him through combat, but had also sustained others through senseless suffering.
