Imagine this is the road you must take through the Last Days and you’re heading “into the storm.” It’s obvious that your own powers will not be enough to see you through it, so you must call upon God for help and protection. We can learn from history how other humans experience this kind of protection.
MIRACULOUS EVENT #1: RESCUE AT DUNKIRK:
In May and June of 1940, almost the entire British Army was surrounded and trapped on the coast of France in and around Dunkirk by the German army. Winston Churchill had just been made Prime Minister and called for every private ship available to join the Navy in their rescue efforts—a daunting task given the vastly superior power of the German Luftwaffe, already mercilessly shelling the beaches there. Here’s what happened (per www.bbc.com):
Operation Dynamo, as it was known, saw 20 ships of the British Navy joined by 850 “Little Ships”—privately owned boats—to make multiple trips across the Channel between 26th May and 4th June. The waters of the Channel are notoriously treacherous, which could have posed problems for the smaller boats, but thanks to a spell of settled weather the sea remained unusually calm with little more than a light breeze. Light easterly winds blew smoke over the beaches, screening the soldiers as they waited to be evacuated. Cloud cover between 28th and 30th May obscured the beaches, preventing the Luftwaffe from bombing the Allied forces and their rescuers as they sailed across the Channel. Above the clouds, the Royal Air Force was able to engage the Luftwaffe in the skies. In the week of Operation Dynamo around 338,000 soldiers were rescued.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s further vow in a speech made to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940:
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!
Furthermore, here’s Churchill’s rallying cry after they faced the Blitz (1940 and 41) and at other hard times (speech at Harrow Oct 29, 1941): This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. This is often summed up as follows:
Never, never, never, NEVER give up!
May we be so valiant when America is faced with tyranny!
Sources:
Watch the movie, Darkest Hour, for the background.
https://www.bbc.com/weather/features/52808043
https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/quotes/famous-quotations-and-stories/
Last Days Decoded, p. 86
MIRACULOUS EVENT #2: Pilgrims Protected from French Armada:
The French and Indian War was fought between England and France over control of the Ohio River Valley and the larger North American colonial territory to determine who would ultimately dominate it: the French or the English. This culminated in a worldwide nine year’s war (1754–63). During the earlier King George’s War of 1744–1748, an amazing event happened (Britannnica.com). The French sent a huge Armada to destroy ports in Nova Scotia, as well as all in the American colonies from Boston to Charleston SC, with orders to spare no life along the way.
The Puritan settlers assembled in a Boston Meeting House, which is still standing today, to pray and beseech the Lord for protection. Shortly, a huge storm arose in the ocean with winds strong enough to ring the bell in the tower of this meeting house. The two largest ships in the Armada were lost, along with many others, while all but 1,000 soldiers of the 11,000 in the French fleet came down with scurvy, typhoid, or cholera. The expedition was such a disaster that its commanding officer, the Duc D’Anville committed suicide rather than face the shame of failure.
The colonies were saved by the power of God!
(Originally heard on YouTube: Come Follow Me, Lesson 4, Part 1, “Breaking Chains” on the Joseph Smith Foundation channel, and summarized on p. 116 of Last Days Decoded, link HERE.)
MIRACULOUS EVENT #3: Thunder Defeated the Philistines
1 Samuel 7:3-6, 10:
3-6 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
ANCIENTLY: 1 Samuel 7:3-4:
. . . If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only . . . . Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. [The gods of fertility and their immoral rites and sacrifices]
IN OUR DAY:
Idolatry is hardly a thing of the past. Our types of Idols have changed, but the worship of false gods is alive and well. . . . [while we] are no longer tempted to worship these fertility gods, Baal and Ashtaroths, . . . Today, they are replaced by the gods of ‘consumerism’ . . . The gods of power, weath and consumer goods. [And] it cannot be denied that the immorality of Canaanite worship seems alive and well in our hedonistic society of today. . . . But the worship of appetites, passions, and the human body are everywhere around us.
(COMMENTARY SOURCE: Miracles of the Old Testament, Alonzo Gaskill, pp. 241, 244)
MIRACULOUS EVENT #4: Crossing the Delaware:
FROM OUR FRIEND “AI”:
- The stormy weather created poor visibility, hindering enemy observation.
- Heavy snow and ice made the river crossing more challenging for the British.
- The harsh conditions forced the enemy to lower their guard, underestimating Washington’s resolve.
- The element of surprise was enhanced by the unexpected timing of the attack amidst the storm.
- Washington’s troops were motivated by the dire circumstances, bolstering their determination.
- The weather ultimately played a crucial role in the success of the surprise attack on December 26, 1776. (From AI)
Almost more importantly, his Soldiers had proved they could stand toe to toe with disciplined European troops. The Continental Army also seized much-needed supplies, including cannons and 1,200 muskets. While the operational gains were important, the strategic impact far outweighed the real gains. Washington’s late Christmas gift captured popular imagination and new support at a key point in the War for Independence.
(COMMENTARY SOURCE: The National Museum of the United States Army, https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/crossing-the-delaware/)
PERSONAL WEATHER MIRACLE: A Rainbow and the Space Needle:
On a family outing to Seattle, four of us took a boat tour of the Harbor and a grand view of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and surrounding area. Rain was predicted for the entire day, but we went anyway and about 30 minutes before we boarded, the rain stopped and the clouds parted enough to provide a lovely view for the entire ride. The rain resumed about 30 minutes after our return to shore! A miracle of God and showing His tender mercies? Maybe not, but it sure seemed like it at the time. Here’s a photo of how another tourist captured the magic of the moment we saw a rainbow appear over the Space Needle:
https://tracietravels.com/
Thanks to Tracie for sharing this wonderful photo. It captured our feelings as well. So when the storms of life threaten you, do all you can and ask God for His help and protection. He will give it to you according to His will, and often provide these little moments of assurance and mercy.
May your path forward be strewn with rainbows!