A Lieutenant’s Miraculous Escape From Death
Herewith is presented a letter from a Lieutenant in the United States Army on some far-off battle front to his sister in Pennsylvania. The original letter is in possession of Rev. Ray B. White of Zaraphath, New Jersey.
A Letter From A Soldier
Received September 3, 1942
From The Wilds of Nowhere
The Land of Death and Destruction Dear Sis:
In writing this letter to you, I don’t know where to start first. So many things have happened since last I wrote. Well, to begin with I have es- caped death at the hand of an enemy in a way so amazing I am still in a daze. You remember I told you, when I knew I was going over, I was going armed with the Bible?… That Bible is the reason I am still here and able to write this letter to all America…
Here is the story: My buddy and I were sent out on duty with our equip- ment in the work I told you before waws our job. We had just received information. The most important for weeks. We were discovered by the enemy, I gave my buddy the information we had collected, told him to beat it with it, prepared myself to face them. It was the fist time I’d been faced with the necessity of pointing my gun at a man and blasting the life from his miserable body. I thought fast: then I said, “Lord, it’s Your responsibility now.” My buddy had not obeyed my order. He had no such scruples. As I reached for my carbine, a shot from the enemy struck me int the breast and blasted me down. Thinking I was dead, my pal jumped for me, grabbing my carbine as well as his own, stood astride my body, blasting away with both guns. He was blasted, too, to his knees with three bullet wounds, but when he finished, there was not a one of them left. He was amazed when I rolled over and tried to get up. The force of that bullet had only stunned me. I wondered why and was dazed. I pulled that little Book, a Bible, out of my pocket and in utter muteness, looked at the ugly hole in the cover… It had ripped through genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, on through the Pentateuch, on through the other books: Samuel, Kings, Chronicles and kept going where do you think it stopped? In the middle of Psalm 91, pointing like a finger at this verse:
“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.”
Sis, when I read that verse it raised me three feet off the ground. I did not know there was such a verse in the Bible. I’d been reading mostly in New Testament. I read the rest of that chapter—-the first part, was ripped apart. In utter humility I said, that had escaped the mouth of an enemy of prey…
When I got my buddy back to post, he said, “Lute (he calls me Lute), I’ve had enough. This convinces me. Come on—-I want to get right with God, starting right now.” He wouldn’t let then tend his wounds. He said, “Nothing matters now but this.” He stayed on his knees sixteen hours with three wounds. His body became so numb he couldn’t move it. But he would not give up. When the Lord finally came in, he moved! That soldierwent crazy for God. He jumped over chairs (I mean boxes). He jumped over bunks. He even ran outside and shouted to the whole camp.
Since I’ve given my heart to God, and talk with the boys, hold meeting and pray with them, God has given me twenty-five souls. Twenty-five ofmy buddies have prayed through and come out for God. God even game me my general. It took a long time. He was so dignified. But God told me to go after him. I stuck on his trial until he was grounded and came through. The Spirit of God havered over that then with a sort of glimmer- ing golden haze.
I tell you; Sis prayer is going to win this war. Not guns alone. Fervent, agonizing prayer I know is. God is bringing them in one by one. The whole company will be a company of praying men.
God has promised them to me. Given me assurance. Think of it, 120 praying men and one general in one regiment! When that happens, this unit will be unconquerable. Pray, Sis. Pray as you never prayed before. Tell everyone to pray. Tell all America to go to its knees.
Before each decisive victory anywhere over here, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, there has been a feeling of people praying far away. The feeling is so strong, you can hear. One of the men, the most stubborn of them, said in the stillness of the night, “God! Did you hear anything? Sounded like people praying from some distant place. Must be hearing thins in this dead place.”
So, Pray, everyone. It will have to come from afar. No one prays in this land of utter desolation. God has turned His face away from the horror and destruction man has brought on himself.
Again, I plead, tell America to pray! This war will not end until nations and people have paid in blood and tears for thrusting God out of their hearts, out of their nation out of their lands. And tell them for God’s sake t send Bibles and more Bibles, and more Bibles! A Bible will give him the confidence that is God is with him. I’d like to have this letter broadcast from every radio station in America. Try to get it on the air, in the papers, in anything that is printed. Make copies of it. Send it from coast to coast. Tell them the Army wants prayers and Bibles.
And you complacent, bridge-playing, foxtrotting, cocktail-drinking mothers, why did you teach your sons about God, instead of handing him a cigarette, a cocktail glass and a dance program! Get on your knees and ask God to forgive your sins. Then pray for the Army—-pray, pray, pray!And you great dignified preachers! Why didn’t you teach your people to pray? To follow God instead of standing before them in your silken robes and reading them a ritual. Only (Christ’s) atonement for sin can stop the shelling, the killing, the murdering. (He died for our sins and rose from the dead the third day.) Even the shells that come whizzing through the air scram only one word—-“Atonement!”
I could go on, but I am so tired, so weary. But in all so happy to see them coming to God one by one. So, tell them to pray, atone for sin, (for- sake sin) and keep praying. And when you send things to your boys, send Bibles. They want Bibles.
Your Loving brother, Lieutenant————- “
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a is a discerner of the thoughts and in- tents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.