No Atheists in a Foxhole

 


There is an old military saying, “there are no atheists in a foxhole,” and while I don’t suspect that is true, I believe it is often in times of desperation and suffering that people turn to God.

We talked about this the other day at Bible study and Jim’s analogy was a sports one.  He said coaches have a much easier time actually providing coaching that sticks, after a LOSS as opposed to after a WIN. 

In exploring that, our group felt that often when things are going our way – it’s easy to think that our success is because of US, and the things WE’RE doing.  Alternatively, when we’re in the thick of it - facing some daunting odds or difficult tasks, it’s a lot easier to recognize we may not have everything we need, and to seek the help we might have ignored otherwise.

Clearly, if we believe God is who He says He is – omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, then we don’t need to wait for desperate times, but rather we should know He is always with us.

There is Bible story in the book of 2 Kings that I love.  In it, the prophet Elisha and his servant are in a city that has been surrounded by the King of Aram and his forces.  The King believed Elisha had been thwarting his strategic plans by revealing them to Israel, and so he sent horses, chariots and a strong force of men to capture him. 

When Elisha’s servant got up in the morning, he saw all of the military muscle surrounding the city and he said to Elisha, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?”

Elisha said, "Don't be afraid.  Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" - 2 Kings 6:16  And Elisha prayed that God would open the servants eyes so that he may see.

Then the Lord opened the servants eyes, and he looked and saw the hills FULL of God's army - horses and chariots all surrounding Elisha.

The morale of the story is this:  God's army was there - even when the servant couldn't see.  And so, whether we are "In a foxhole" or not, we should know that He is there, ready for us to call upon Him.


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