God, Get Us Out of Here
Jon Schueler did not want to be on the mission. He was sick, but had been ordered to fly anyway. To make matters worse, he had to fill in as navigator for a crew he didn’t know. After a difficult bombing run over St. Nazaire, his B-17 Flying Fortress finally turned for home and then flew into a real calamity: 120 miles per hour headwinds. The formation seemed to inch toward home as enemy fighters constantly preyed on the struggling bombers.
It seemed as though we would never get home. We waited for the Focke Wulfs and the Messerschmitts and we watched the Fortresses fall. Falling Forts. I wanted to hold them. I wanted to go down with them. I wanted to go home. I prayed. I prayed, please God… don’t make this go on and on and on… I can’t stand this boring repetition, please God, get us out of here and get this over with.280
God did answer these prayers, and Jon Schueler returned safely from this mission. However, he was almost shattered by the experience. He was consumed with guilt and the thought that he was responsible for the deaths he had seen. He couldn’t sleep, started losing weight, and was eventually taken off flight status. This was a sensitive man who was affected deeply by what he experienced. It is not uncommon for anyone to feel guilt over his or her survival, or even success, when others are not so fortunate. I believe, however, that there is a better response available when things turn out well for us. We can be thankful, as we prayerfully work through these feelings of guilt. Thankfulness is a more positive attitude that will bring us closer to our Father in heaven, the ultimate source of forgiveness for our real and imagined flaws.
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
—Hebrews 10:22