There is no God (ex SAS)
Stay frosty saint
Hi overcomer,
There is a prayer in todays newsletter you may find helpful.
And not just if you jump out of aeroplanes...
Only to find your parachute dies.
Which is what happened to an Ex-SAS* man I worked with.
Sitting in the morning sun drinking milk and sharing a cheese sandwich he related his grim tale to me.
That after parachuting into a Special Op and flying down the clouds and whistling air...
He pulled the life cord.
Only to find,
Rip!
The chute stubbornly refused to open.
And his faithful backup failed too.
After which,
Time sped up so fast... it ran out.
And so he smashed into ground zero at warp speed. Leaving him with severe injuries. A body patched with steel plate and pins.
From then on,
It was his strong opinion that...
"There is no GOD Dave! Not now. Not ever!"
However,
I countered that all the proof he ever needed to the contrary was buried in the very story he'd just told me from his own life.
That...
A very real living GOD,
Who loved Him and sent Jesus to die for him.
Snatched him from death that day.
However,
When I quoted Psalm 14 to him he did get upset...
"The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt; they have done abominable works; there is none that doeth good."
Psalm 14:1 KJ21
Yet credit to him.
He heard me out and we carried on as friends. Though I must admit. Working with him kept me on my toes...
"Stay frosty."
You never know what is up ahead of you.
And you cannot escape it saint.
Some things just are.
Live ready.
For good or evil.
Joy or sadness.
Life or death.
Many years before, another man fell to the ground too.
He was 100% ready.
James the Just was cast down from the Temple in Jerusalem, stoned and his skull smashed in by a club.
Why?
For praying day and night (In the Temple of course. His Fathers house)...
Which is where they caught and carried him away to glory.
He was a prayer warrior.
And his martyrdom caused a great uproar in Jerusalem because he was known far and wide for his deep consecration to the LORD.
Believers and non believers alike revered his piety.
Yet in all this,
His destiny was martyrdom...
And just as his big brother Jesus,
He did not flinch.
Stay frosty.
Bless you.
Dave.
PS James wrote this for you overcomer...
"You also, be patient.
Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door."
James 4:8-9 ESV
PRAYER FOR WHAT'S AHEAD.
"Father there IS a GOD.
And it is YOU. The only wise and TRUE GOD.
The God and Father of Yeshua Hamashiach
King of Kings. LORD OF LORDS.
Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
So help me to take up my cross.
To deny myself.
And follow you Jesus. No matter what is up ahead and must shortly come to pass.
Follow You,
Through life...
Through death and on past the Gates of Paradise to enter the 'BIG' life. (Rev 2:7)
Eternal peace.
To live with Thee.
You conquered death Jesus.
And now...
It has no hold on me. (John 14:30) Nor his demons.
And never will.
You said you will cast this enemy, death himself...
Into the Lake of Fire. (Rev 20:14)
Amen. And you will.
Yet,
I cannot carry my cross Father.
It is too heavy for me.
Sorry Father. I know your word is true.
I forgot...
I am weak but you are strong. (2 Cor 12: 10)
And you live in me strong. (Col 1:27)
So.
Not my will but yours be done.
In all.
At all times.
No matter what Father. No matter what!
Love carries me. And I will carry His Name.
On my lips no matter who forbids me.
In Jesus Name.
Amen."
* SAS = British Special Forces.
You captured my attention with your story. My brother was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army in the late 90s and HIS chute failed to open on a jump. His backup did not fully inflate and his back was broken when he hit the ground, an injury he still deals with. It's interesting how different people react. My brother never lost his faith even though his was fundamentally changed on that day.
Dave, thank you for this powerful piece! Thank God that He is merciful in our weakness and when we humbly repent, He picks us up, brushes us off, gives us a hug and we sit and talk about what went wrong. We discuss how to at least attempt to avoid that pitfall the next time. (Note to self, this step has to be repeated many times...). Mercy, that is what God is and His Son the exemplary example of this.