Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who was part of what was called the Confessing Church during the Nazi years in Germany. While most churches in Germany went along with Nazification and made whatever changes Hitler dictated, a small percentage chose to resist the anti-Semitism and glorification of the state and its rulers.<\/p>\n
\tBonhoeffer, although an avowed pacifist, eventually came to advocate Hitler\u2019s assassination and knew about the plots against the dictator. In the face of Nazi atrocities, Bonhoeffer concluded that \u201cthe ultimate question for a responsible man to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation shall continue to live.\u201d He did not justify his action against Hitler. Instead, he accepted that he was taking guilt upon himself. He wrote \u201cwhen a man takes guilt upon himself in responsibility, he imputes his guilt to himself and no one else. He answers for it…Before other men he is justified by dire necessity; before himself he is acquitted by his conscience, but before God he hopes only for grace.\u201d Arrested in 1943, he was convicted April 8, 1945 and hanged the next day, barely a month before Germany\u2019s unconditional surrender.<\/p>\n
\tOne of his favorite passages in the Bible was the second half of 2 Chronicles 20:12: \u201cWe do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.\u201d That sentence occurs at the end of a prayer that the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, offered to God in the face of a vast army coming against Judah from Edom and Moab. He admits to God that \u201c…we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us\u201d\u2014the first sentence of 2 Chronicles 20:12.<\/p>\n
\tIt is a common occurrence in life to face vast armies: our problems. It is also common to have no clue what to do about them. Sometimes, as in Jehoshaphat\u2019s case, God gives a solution that we like. The armies that attacked Judah fought among themselves and never attacked, leaving behind enormous spoils for Judah to plunder. In contrast, Bonhoeffer faced his own death\u2014the ultimate crisis that every last one of us must face\u2014and there was no escaping from it. Some of the vast armies facing us are like that. <\/p>\n
\tIn both cases, however, we can still look to God and know that he will be with us as we experience whatever outcome he has chosen for us, knowing that he will see us through, and knowing that even if we don\u2019t like what happens, God is still with us and still dependable.<\/p>\n
\tJesus told his disciples, not long before he was arrested, convicted, and executed, \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.\u201d (John 14:27) Sometimes people give us encouragement in the middle of our bad times and we think \u201ceasy for you to say.\u201d But given Jesus\u2019 context, knowing what he was about to face, his words carry added force. They were not easy, they were not clich\u00e9, and they were not flippant. He believed them even though he faced the ultimate crisis.<\/p>\n
\tEarlier in his life, Jesus told an audience, \u201cTherefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?\u201d (Matthew 6:25)<\/p>\n
\tIt is hard to believe words like that if we\u2019re facing the loss of our jobs, income, or house, because we wonder how we can live at all without those things. It seems impossible, facing a vast army, to feel that peace that Jesus talked about.<\/p>\n
\tBut look back at Jehoshaphat again. In 2 Chronicles 20 he is informed about the crisis in verse two. His reaction, according to the very next verse, is \u201calarm.\u201d Hardly seems like he felt any peace. But wait, what did he do in his alarm? He \u201cresolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.\u201d He immediately thought to turn to God. And he didn\u2019t face the problem by himself. Verse four goes on to say that \u201cThe people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tWhen friends of ours learned that they were going to be laid off from their jobs, they immediately let everyone else in the church know about it. We had a special prayer meeting to focus on the issue. Did this make them suddenly employed again? No. But there is some comfort that comes in dark times from simply being with other people. And sometimes, other people may come up with solutions that we, in the middle of the crisis, can\u2019t see.<\/p>\n
\tThe vast army facing us may fade away. Or it may not. In either case, it is easier to endure it with our eyes on God, than not.<\/p>\n
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