By Joe Widick
Out of the horrors of World War II comes an interesting account many people are not aware of. It was a contribution that not only aided the allied victory, it actually speeded the victory up. In 1942, the US Army recruited and trained twenty nine young Navajo Indians and sent them to a base surrounded in secrecy. These people, who were called “windtalkers,” had been asked to devise a special code in their native language that the enemy couldn’t break. They succeeded, and the code was never broken. It secured and greatly speeded up war communications. It was so successful, that the army kept this secret code as classified information for twenty three years after the war, in case it might be needed again.
I can imagine how frustrating it would be to know that some type of message was being sent, but not being able to understand a word of the message. By contrast, the Bible was not sent down to us in some unbreakable code impossible to understand. Although it contains rich imagery, vivid metaphors, and the record of magnificent visions, it was written by human authors to give people the message of God’s love and salvation. That message is clear and unmistakable. The biblical writers were moved by God’s Spirit to record exactly what He wanted us to know. For centuries people have been freed from their sin and guilt by believing His message.
Imagine with me for a moment if there was some “gibberish” that appeared on a written page. You had been looking for answers about the meaning and purpose of life. You sensed on this written page was the answers you were looking for, but yet you could not comprehend what it was saying because it was all in a code that made no sense to you.
There is no frustration, no secret code, or “gibberish” in reading a beloved passage from John that tells me; “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The truth of this statement feels one with hope and excitement. I am so thankful that I can understand it.
We owe a great deal of debt to the windtallkers. We owe and even greater debt to the writers of the Scripture, who received God’s Word and wrote it down. Let each of us read it often.
Prayer Thought: Pray for Wayne and his family, as he continues to preach and teach the truth.
By Joe Widick
You can ask Elaine and she will tell you that I just do not like heights. Several years ago, we lived in an old farm house on the west side of Nashville. The first rainstorm we had, made us quickly realize that we were going to have to put a roof on the house. My father, grandfather and uncle all volunteered to help us save money by putting the roof on. It looked like it was going to be an easy task, just time consuming. All went well as I got the shingles. The problem came when I started up the ladder to carry the shingles to those who knew something about roofing. I don’t know much about the pitch of a roof, but it seemed as though it was at a 45 degree slope. The old house was a two story house therefore it was to me a long way to the ground. I didn’t think much about it until I stopped to look at how high off the ground I really was. I felt that one wrong move, and the only thing between me and 18-20 foot drop to the ground was the gutter. I realized at that point that I was a little heavier than a rain drop! All I wanted to do was simply hold on, and I couldn’t find anything to hold on to.
The apostle Paul addressed a lot of concerns with the church at Thessalonica. One of the things he addressed was the need for them to “…stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you…” The best advice always comes from God’s word. If you and I could grasp the importance of holding firm to the teachings of God’s word, what a difference it would make. The teachings of the Bible give us the guidance we need in being the best husband/wife we could be. It also gives us the direction in being the very best parents possible. There is guidance on how to be an employee, how to be a neighbor. The list is endless as to the guidance the Bible gives. Yet in our world today few want to hold firm to the teachings of the inspired writers.
Notice that Paul also stated that those in Thessalonica needed to “stand firm.” If we know what we believe (from God’s word) are we willing to take a stand for it, or do we allow every doctrine that comes along to change our way of thinking. Isn’t it important to not only know the word of God and holding on to it, but also be willing to take a stand? God’s word is not going to change. It is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Balance and holding to truth are essential for Christian maturity and growth. Years ago when I was on that roof, it was important for me to stand firm and to hold on. How much more important is it for me to do this in a spiritual sense.
Prayer Thought: Help each of us to hold tightly to the rich treasures found in God’s word.
By Joe Widick
I know that all of us have those days! Days when it seems that it would have been better to not get up. Days when life seems to hand you a lemon and you are just not able to make lemonade out of it. I believe that one measure of our spiritual maturity is the way we respond when things go wrong. If we give in to despair, doubt God’s existence or strike out at some innocent person, we have some growing up to do.
There was a little known explorer by the name of Samuel Hearne who was noted for various expeditions in northern Canada. On one of those expeditions during the mid 1700’s, a crucial piece of charting equipment broke. Samuel was forced to turn back for the nearest outpost. It was on this return that thieves stole most of his supplies. His situation was one of grave despair. Unable to finish the expedition and then having most of his supplies taken, he had a choice. Respond in a negative or positive manner. He wrote in his diary the following; “As the ravagers had materially lightened my load,…this part of the journey was the easiest and most pleasant part of any I had experienced since my leaving the fort.” I imagine that had I been in Samuel’s situation, I would have wanted to give up instead of seeing it as the most pleasant part of the journey.
One of the real heroes of the Bible is the apostle Paul. His experiences as a Christian were varied. He had many highs, but he also had many lows. It is during those lows, that we see the true character of the apostle. In II Corinthians 4:8 Paul penned the following; “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.” This statement is the result of his traveling from town to town preaching and teaching, facing those who opposed his work for the Lord. Time and time again he found help and hope by turning to the Lord.
How about us? How do we respond when things go wrong? Do we fall apart? If so, we need to ask God for patience and a positive perspective to handle life’s setbacks in a mature Christian way. Take time to read James 1:2-5 and see the positive way of handling diversity. When things go wrong, ask God for strength and wisdom. Then thank Him for working to increase your faith. Remember tough times teach trust.
Prayer Thought: That God will rise up more individuals who are willing to teach God’s word.
By Joe Widick
Several years ago I prepared to go night fishing with my father-in-law. I love to fish, but prefer the day time. It was decided that even though the fish were not biting during the day, that surely they would at night. It was an ordeal to get all the equipment loaded into our little aluminum boat. My father-in law knew the best place to go, and off we went. It was pitch dark on the lake. We set the anchor, lit the lanterns and began to take it easy as we waited for the fish to start biting. We swapped stories of the “big one” that got away. Off in the distance a flash of light caught my attention. “Was that lightning?” I asked. “Yes, but it is a long ways off” he replied. We continued to pass the time away, watching the lightning in the distance. It seemed that before we knew what was happening, the wind began to pick-up and then there was a clap of thunder. That “distant” thunderstorm was upon us. We hurriedly got all our equipment together preparing to go back to the cabin. That is when the old motor didn’t want to start. The wind was increasing and finally the motor decides to run and off we go for the safety of the cabin. We had ignored all the warnings of the coming storm and then frantically had to leave for safety. I learned very quickly that night not to delay when a storm is brewing.
I believe that too many of us live our life neglecting to take into account the reality that we are one day closer to eternity. It seems so distant. The wise man Solomon penned these words; “When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.” (Proverbs 1:27-28). Isn’t the wise writer describing a situation much like what my father-in law and myself found ourselves in? We foolishly failed to heed the warning signs of the coming storm. In His word, God has told us what will be a blessing in our life as well as those things that we need to avoid. Isn’t it past time that we heed God’s warnings? Have you sought shelter in Christ? If you haven’t, it’s time to stop “fishing” and seek safety before it’s too late. What seems to be so far, far away, has a way of creeping up on us before we know it.
Prayer Thought: Continue to pray for world peace, a peace that will allow our troops to come home.
