His Mysterious Ways

By Maj. Michael Halt, Camp LeJeune, North Carolina
Guideposts Magazine, November, 2002

The order had come down at last, the ground invasion of Kuwait was
about to commence. My battalion would cross the Kuwaiti border as
part of Operation Desert Storm. I was the second in command of 130 brave Marines who were about to face the most daunting challenge of their military lives.

We'd already dodged heavy artillery fire and now we'd likely face more dangers, like land mines and oil fires. Thousands of Iraqi troops
waited just beyond the Kuwaiti border. It was time for us to make the final strategic push. "Dear God," I prayed, "help me to lead my
troops wisely. Watch over us. Keep us safe."

I walked from one group of Marines to another, talking to them about the mission and trying to keep their spirits up. Hunched against the dry, biting desert winds, we wrote letters home. Maybe our last.

Just before dawn the next morning I gave the order to move out. The
skies were clear. We slung our gear into our Humvees and began
advancing toward the border.

I felt a drop of rain, then another. In a matter of minutes it was pouring. The rain came down hard and fast, so thick we could barely
make out the desert landscape ahead of us.

It went on for days. Each morning we'd awaken soaked to the bone
after another night with only camouflage netting for cover. Bad enough we had the enemy to worry about. Now the elements were against us too. "Father, please make this rain stop and protect us."

The rain continued to pound us relentlessly until we finally neared
the Kuwaiti border. There the battalion halted. On the other side,
the enemy waited. Rain or no rain, we'd soon be going in.

We awoke on the day of the invasion to clear skies and glorious
sunshine. As we closed in on the border, we couldn't help but stare
at the astounding sight before us. The torrential rains had washed
away the sand to reveal metal disks planted all across our path. It
was an Iraqi minefield.

In the future we will undoubtedly hear testimonies like this regarding
how the Lord helped protect our men and women in the Middle-East
through these current difficult times.

Someone recently commented to me that Christians give frequent
testimonies about how God helped them and wonder why we feel we are specially loved by Him.

I pointed out that the Bible tells us that God sends needed rain to
the just and the unjust. The difference between the two is the just
give Him praise and thanks for it.

Are you giving God credit for what happened in your life today and
what He has planned for you tomorrow?

"April showers bring May flowers" is true in the natural, and todays
"storms" may bring fruit in the spiritual realm.

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