DIFFERENCE MAKER –

The sight of a slouching King David making his way out of Jerusalem with his entourage through rows of disheartened supporters, before Absalom and his rebel crowd could show up and do irreparable damage to him and his household, must have been a pitiful sight to all of his loyal patronage. Now as he sat by a campfire near a waterfall, high up on a lonely plateau, miles away from his palace and God’s holy sanctuary, he begins thinking about the future and how his faith and trust in God will get him through. He knew the help he needed was beyond any man’s ability to supply, so he turned to the only One that could satisfy his heart’s desire.

“O my One True God, show that I’m Your chosen and You are on my side against these disloyal people; don’t let these thugs get to me and do me harm. You’re supposed to be my main supporter, O One True God; don’t You care anymore? Why let me be so stressed and demoralized by those causing me such anguish? Help me to understand and believe, so I can regain my joy by returning to Your holy sanctuary; to kneel at Your altar, O One True God, my heavenly King; the joy of my life; and lift my hands in song and praise to my One True God who means everything to me. So I asked myself again, why am I so upset and making such a fuss? I’m putting my hope in my One True God, and one day I’ll end up praising Him for being there when I needed Him most; He is my One True God over everything.” Psalm 43:1-5

Reflection: Elmer Bendiner, a B-17 bomber pilot in WWII, was flying a mission over Germany when his plane received numerous hits by anti-aircraft artillery, with some of the shells going directly into the plane’s fuel tanks. Miraculously, the bomber did not explode. When he landed back at a British airfield they found eleven unexploded shells in one fuel tank alone! After dismantling the shells, to their amazement they found the shells empty of any explosives. In one shell they found a note written in the Czech language. Translated it read: “This is all we can do for you now.” They found out later it came from a Czech citizen who was forced to work in a German munitions factory. No doubt that worker wondered from time to time if the unheralded work he was doing made any difference to the outcome of the war. Like David, we too often draw fire from those opposed to who we are and how we live, all intended to try our patience and discourage us from carrying on. But through the ingenuity of His Holy Spirit, God takes all the explosives out to the enemy’s fire. While they may dent our armor and inflict some pain, they cannot keep us from getting to our intended goal, and finishing the work our divine Commander-in-Chief gave us to do. So the next time you see the enemy take aim, don’t panic, because God knows whether or not it’s live fire or just another dud. Based on God’s reputation, it’s possible He arranged for our adversary to fill his cannon with harmless blanks.