Praise You in this Storm

This past summer during the pandemic, all of my ministry events were cancelled. I felt like I was being punished.

Maybe you had the same feeling; your life was put on hold and all of your dreams and goals were crushed. So many students who had worked for years preparing for college had their plans cancelled. We can feel sorry for ourselves and possibly be angry over the circumstances. The same is true of suffering. Suffering is a universal human experience. We can be the victim to an unjust fate. I would like to share a story about a man named Jakob who was forced into the army to fight a war he did not want.

In the summer of 1812 Jakob Walter, a twenty-four-year-old stone mason from Wurttemberg, Germany, was drafted into Napoleonʼs army. There were 685,000 soldiers and 180,000 horses assembled to march to war against Russia. In June, they crossed through Poland. On September 7, they met the Russian army for battle in the town of Borodino, 70 miles east of Moscow. In the midst of the battle, Jakob cried out to God in his native German with words similar to these: “God, I have not been wounded, and You have allowed me to live until now. I thank You and I offer up my sufferings to You and pray that You will protect me. Lord, you can save me; with you, God, everything is possible.” Jakob Walter wrote his story in a personal diary that was translated from German to English in 1932. The title of the book is The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier. He tells his story of marching 1,500 miles to Russia and home again.

After occupying the city of Moscow for four weeks, Napoleon ordered his army to make plans to retreat on October 18. For twenty-six days and nights they marched 300 miles to arrive at the Russian border city of Smolensk on November 12. There was little food or water along the journey, and soldiers slaughtered their horses for meat. By December, they reached the border of Poland. For the first time, Jakob was free to rent lodging. He lodged at Niklawi, Poland, where the landlord told him that it was Christmas Eve. On February 24, 1813, Jakob arrived home safely in his village of Ellwangen, Germany. Of the 685,000 soldiers who went to war, Jakob was one of only 27,000 who survived. Jakob had faith to believe God could save him. God will pass over a million people to get to one who has faith to call on His name. In the midst of the battle, Jakob prayed an extraordinary prayer; he offered up his suffering as an offering.

Is there something you are suffering from that you could give to God as an offering? The music group Casting Crowns has a song, Praise You in this Storm. Offering up our suffering is praising God in the storms of life. We offer up our suffering as an act of surrender. Christ is empowered by His suffering and death to save us completely. Without His crucifixion, there is no resurrection. At the crucifixion the Divine suffered with His creation. When we offer up our sufferings to God we imitate His love for us. As the Scripture says, “...we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:17 ~George DeTellis, Jr.