Chapter Six

IN GOD WE TRUST

Individually we all face challenges from day to day. On our coins in this country is the phrase In God We Trust. Do you trust God? Do I trust God? In the day to day circumstances of life do we trust God? Learning to lean upon and trust God and His resources will bring joy to our lives even in times like these.

There was a missionary I once heard about who was given his first assignment in Brazil. He would be going deep into the Amazon basin. The retiring missionary told the new missionary of all the dangers that he would be facing from snakes to wild animals. Then he told him about the danger from the people that lived there. The retiring missionary told the new missionary that he would be wise to buy a handgun and keep it with him.

The new missionary bought the gun and over the years found some comfort knowing that the weapon was easily in reach in his back pack. Living and working among the natives on the Amazon he faced many dangers but never once had to use his gun. After twelve years of service and danger the missionary returned to the United States. He would soon be reassigned to another mission field.

After a few weeks at home the missionary began sorting out his belongings and remembered his gun. He thought to himself that he no longer had need of it. So he took the gun out to the country so he could fire and dispose of the bullets. He pointed the gun at a tree and pulled the trigger. "Click." He pulled the trigger again. "Click." Again, and again he pulled the trigger. "Click, click, click, click." All of the shells had been corroded and rendered useless long ago.

After talking with some firearms experts he discovered that the weapon was probably useless within three months of when he bought it. Because of the extreme humidity on the Amazon the shells usefulness lasted only a short while. All that time the missionary had been trusting in the weapon to protect him when really in was useless. He now knew who had really protected him during those twelve years.

All of the time that I was a probation and parole officer I carried a handgun. It was a requirement of the Department of Corrections that we carry a weapon in many situations. Also as a matter of practicality being a police officer there would be times that we would be called upon to help citizens and other officers. Carrying a weapon was a problem for me at first and I spent much time in prayer before I knew what was right for my situation. I came to the conclusion that if it was necessary that I could use the weapon to protect myself or to protect someone else.

Over the years that I served as a probation and parole officer I was exposed to many dangerous situations. At times it was necessary to draw my weapon and have it ready to fire. It was necessary to do this during drug raids, and sometimes when making arrests. I also had a caseload that was at times spread out over a large area covering several counties. Many clients that I visited on a random unannounced basis lived in very isolated areas. I never once had to fire my weapon to defend myself or someone else during those years. I know that the Lord protected me.

I remember an incident in which God taught me much about trusting Him. During the first part of 1983 I was still working in the oilfield. When this particular incident happened I was working on a rig location close to Chickasha, Oklahoma, almost two hours from my home in Elk City.

On my way to work I prayed for my family and for their protection. There being no phone on the location, my first indication that something was wrong came when my replacement arrived. I was told that one of my two sons had been severely burned, and that I needed to return to Elk City immediately.

While being driven home, I imagined all kinds of terrible things that could have happened. Would I trust God? Would I pray and ask Him for help? Would I be angry and bitter that God had allowed this to happen? Really, those thoughts didn't cross my mind because I knew God was my son's only hope. I accepted the worst that could have happened and still might happen. Then I placed all of my hope and my focus upon my Lord. This was a conscious decision to trust God no matter what the outcome of this circumstance might be.

I finally reached a phone that worked and was able to talk to Jeanie. I found out that our oldest son, Clark, had been in an accident and his face was severely burned. Clark and a friend had attempted to start a fire with gun powder taken from his friend's home. The explosion was powerful enough to knock Clark backward and onto the ground. Jeanie told me that Clark had received excellent and immediate treatment in the emergency room. Even though Clark's face was burned, his eyes were not injured. The concern now was about possible lung damage, which usually accompanies such an accident, and the extent of the scarring.

During the remaining minutes of my trip home, I continued to pray. Things were still quite bleak, but at least Clark was alive and he could see. Within a week it was obvious that there was no lung damage, and Clark's face would have only a small area of scarring. And that is just one of the times that God supernaturally protected our son. Today Clark is the pastor of a church at Little City, Oklahoma while he completes seminary.

In God We Trust, much easier said than done. But I knew that somehow God had protected Clark, because there was no other explanation possible. All situations in my life may not have such miraculous conclusions, but I have chosen to place my trust in God for better or for worse. The Psalmist says it much better than I, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

I would strongly encourage you to pray for the protection of your loved ones and other on your prayer lists as you begin every day. As a pastor during a two week period I once stopped praying for the protection of those on my prayer lists. Within two weeks there were six people in the hospital with life threatening illnesses and conditions which I have come to believe would not have happened if I had been praying. Needless to say I have not had such a gap in my prayer life since that time.

Today why not place your trust in God?