Too often of late I’ve heard the phrase “All we can do is pray.” That misguided statement reminds me of the amazing role played by some Czech citizens in World War II.
In Elmer Bendiner’s book, The Fall of Fortresses, he describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel: “Our B-17 (the Tondelayo) was barraged by flack from Nazi anti-aircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple.
“On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one but eleven had been found in the gas tanks – eleven un-exploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.
“He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer. Apparently, when the armorers opened each of these shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them.
“One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.”
All we can do?! The pilots on that B-17 certainly didn’t have a small opinion of what those Czechs had done. Nor did the wives, children, or grandchildren of those airmen. Not to mention the lives they saved in the future as they helped deliver the world from Adolph Hitler. “All we can do . . .!”
This is often what I think when I hear people bemoan their helplessness or lack of contribution as they pronounce, “All we can do is pray.” What better activity could a person possibly do? We can impact the world, secure destinies and affect eternity through prayer.
Watchman Prayer: How to Stand Guard and Protect Your Family, Home, and Community. Dutch Sheets Pages 108-110.