. . . Jesus said, let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on Me...She hath done what she could. Mark 14:6,8
A striking story of W W II was recounted by an airman who was part of a crew that flew a B-17 bomber over Germany during that awful conflict. The particular bombing run which he recounted was targeted over the German city of Kassel.
As usual, the flak from German antiaircraft weapons was heavy and terrible. The shells most often used were 20mm, armour piercing shells with explosive charges in their tips. If they hit an aircraft in the right place the exploding charge would set off a far greater explosion, destroying the aircraft. During the raids, many allied bombers were lost after being hit by these shells. Yet, on this particular mission, though the shells actually pierced the fuel tanks of the bomber the airman was in, strangely, the aircraft did not explode. It was able to complete its mission and get back to its base before it ran out of fuel.
The pilot later told his aircrew the amazing story of that particular bombing run. The morning following the bombing run, he had requested that the air crew ground chief who was in charge of repairing the bomber's fuel tanks would give him one of the enemy shells as a souvenir of the what seemed a miracle. It was them the pilot learned that eleven shells had been found in the fuel tanks! All eleven shells were un-exploded even though just one should have caused the bomber to explode in flames.
The shells had been sent to the armorers to have their explosive tips defused, but then, Allied intelligence men had taken them away. Eventually the pilot received word that when the armorers opened each of the shells to defuse them, they found no explosive charges in any of shell tips. All eleven shell tips were empty.
Yet, not all of the shells were really empty! They found one shell which contained in its hollow tip a carefully rolled piece of paper with a note scrawled on it in the Czech language. The Allied intelligence people located a man who could read Czech and was able to decipher the note. It caused the whole bomber crew to marvel! The translated note read: This is all we can do for you for now. TCS - July 2013
N.J. Hiebert - 10205
January 31
There shall come in the last days scoffers...saying, where, is the promise of His coming? 2 Peter 3:3,4 For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:37 Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev. 22:20
Where is the promise of His coming?
It is settled in the counsel of the Lord;
By prophets, saints and sages through the slow march of the ages
It was blazoned on the pages of His Word.
Where is the promise of His coming?
It was given unto Israel of old,
And through sore humiliation it is still their consolation
While they wait the restoration long foretold.
Where is the promise of His coming?
It is hidden in the hearts of His redeemed;
In the gloom of shadowed spaces 'tis a light on lifted faces
From the radiant heavenly places whence it streamed.
Where is the promise of His coming?
It is written in the records of the past,
In the evils unabated, in the blood-lust still unsated,
In the woes reiterated to the last.
Where is the promise of His coming?
It is shouted by the thunder of the guns,
By the flaming forges burning, where the plows to swords are turning,
By the weeping mothers yearning for their sons.
Where is the promise of His coming?
It is flashed around the world with every sun;
Every day's event a token that God's purpose stands unbroken,
And the things that He has spoken shall be done.
Where is the promise of His coming?
All the sentient earth with joy electric hums;
On the waves of air 'tis flowing, on the winds of heaven blowing,
Sign on sign its surety showing, till He comes. Annie Johnson Flint
N.J. Hiebert - 10206
February 1
So the shipmaster came to him, (Jonah) and said unto him, what meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. Jonah 1:6
I love those words. True, he did not know God as Jonah knew Him, for who could give a truer and more glorious character to God than Jonah: "I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness and repentest Thee of the evil." (Jonah 4:2) but the shipmaster did not know a God of such a character. The heathen knew nothing of a God like this: but he does venture to hope:
"Arise call upon thy God, Perhaps God will think upon us, that we perish not." (Jonah 1:6) Later we hear them pray, not every man to his god, but this time to Jehovah Himself, and they say, "Ah, Jehovah, we beseech Thee, let us not perish for this man's life." (Jonah 1:14)
Later again, we hear the king of Nineveh, another heathen, exhorting his people to turn from their sins, "Who knoweth but that God will turn . . . that we perish not." (Jonah 3:9). There may have been but the feeblest, and most ignorant turning to the true God, the object before them being only that they should not perish, but how richly did God meet them in each case.
Can we read those words "perish not," repeated three times, without thinking of that most glorious of verses, "God so loved the world, that He gave, His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life"? (John 3:16)
Truly God has found a way so that the vilest of sinners should not perish. How can we, who have tasted of such grace and love, ever cease to praise Him? How can we refuse or neglect to tell out such glorious news to those who have never heard? How can we let them go on and perish in their sins? Jonah the Prophet - G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 10207
February 2
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