God’s Timing
Robert Taylor was pastor of the Fort Worth Baptist Church when he joined the Army in 1940. He was sent to the Philippines where he was assigned as chaplain to the 31st
Infantry Regiment. Immediately after war was declared, Taylor’s unit went into action against the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula. During this campaign he earned the Silver Star for rescuing wounded soldiers under enemy fire. When the Philippines surrendered, he became a prisoner of war and ministered to thousands of fellow captives in the Cabanatuan camp hospital. In 1944 he spent fourteen weeks in solitary confinement for smuggling food and medicine to patients.364 One prisoner, known to be an atheist, called Taylor a “tower of strength.”365 Another prisoner observed a dying soldier ask Taylor how to have a relationship with God:
The young man, cognizant of his spiritual indifference in the past, asked if it was all right to straighten things out with God just because one was about to die. Taylor responded to the young soldier by telling him that God’s response to our need is not based on our timing but on his great love for us. On that day, by the power of God, that young man gave his life to Christ. Afterwards, the young man reached up, took his dog tags, and with a jerk broke the chain and handed them to Taylor. As he placed them in the chaplain’s hand, he squeezed it gently and a wide smile crept over his face.366
This is a story of one man’s faithfulness and God’s timing. By his faithful service, Robert Taylor earned the respect of the soldiers around him and became an effective witness to the power of the gospel. He was the right person at the right time for this soldier, who was able with Taylor’s gentle guidance to put his faith in Christ at the time and place that God intended. We are called to be equally faithful in his service. We must gently share the gospel when appropriate and patiently wait for God’s timing to bring about the hoped-for result.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
—1 Peter 5:10