God's help in dire straits

For the LORD shall be thy confidence , and shall keep thy foot from being taken. I was a worried and anxious teenager when this text from Proverbs 3:26 fell out of my Bible onto my bed in front of me. I was on my knees in my bedroom earnestly imploring God to help in a desperate situation.

I was a member of a youth group at a church with a very strong pacifist position. I had decided to appeal for conscientious objection status when it was time to do my National service. My appeal was to take place at Fulham Town Hall. I was full of easy-going confidence as I travelled with my pastor on the District Line towards central London. My appeal was a disaster. The theologians and the barristers hired by the state tore my feeble protestations and pleas into shreds. I went home a chastened and humbled young man. Later I learned that Rob, a fellow member of the same group, had also failed his first appeal and also the second, had been called up, had refused to put on his uniform and had been sentenced to three months in prison. News from prison was not encouraging. He was in poor health and had lost a lot of weight.

When I made my second appeal I approached the ordeal with a totally different attitude. Gone was my easy-going confidence. I knew it for what it was; it was totally carnal. My heart was trembling before the Lord as I knelt before my bed on the eve of my appeal in London. I was determined to get an answer from God even if I had to pray all night. It was after I had prayed for some time that I found this Sunday-School on a tiny piece of paper in My Bible. I immediately my faith rose and I knew that god had answered my prayers. A bit later I slipped into bed and slept soundly.

The next day I presented my case. As I spoke I was surprised by my confidence and boldness. I even thought I might be rebuked for my temerity. I needn't have worried. My appeal was accepted and I was allowed to do my National Service as a non-combatant. I went home very grateful to God. The thought of doing time in Wormwood Scrubs had wonderfully concentrated my mind!

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