God will bring good out of crisis

Most of us remember where we were when we heard a plane had flown into the first tower on 9/11.

The same is true for the assassinations of John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, and Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968.

Turning points exist for every generation; times when events change history.

An earlier generation had its monumental moment when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

That event changed history when it forced the U.S. into World War II.

President Franklin Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy.”

Roosevelt did more than talk; he promoted Admiral Chester Nimitz to commander of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz arrived in Hawaii on Christmas Eve to assume command.

On Christmas, he was given a boat tour of the devastation.

As the boat returned to dock, his young pilot asked, “Well, admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?”

Nimitz surprised the young man by saying, “The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make or God was taking care of America ... ”

When asked for an explanation, Nimitz explained that by attacking on a Sunday morning when 90% of the crew was ashore, the number of sailors lost was 3,800. If the ships had been lured to sea and sunk, our losses would have likely been 38,000.

Second, he pointed out that the Japanese were so focused on destroying ships that they ignored the nearby dry docks. Nimitz said we would have our ships repaired and out to sea by the time they could be towed to the mainland.

Their third mistake was that every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war was in ground storage tanks just five miles away. A single plane could have blown up the tanks and destroyed the Navy’s fuel supply.

I appreciate Nimitz’s point of view. He did not minimize the damage of the attack, but focused on a different set of facts that offered fresh perspective.

Those of us who are God followers know he looks out for us even when it is not obvious.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

The Apostle Paul’s point is not that everything in life is good, but that God creates beauty from brokenness.

Our country is currently in turmoil because of the coronavirus and all that has unfolded since.

It is easy to focus on deaths and property damage. However, because God is God; I am convinced he will bring good out of crisis.

As we are feeling anxious, remember, God is at work. This is not the final chapter.

Tim Richards grew up in Fairdealing and previously served as associate pastor of Pilgrim’s Rest Church there. He currently serves as a pastor on the staff of Concord Church in South County St. Louis.