Call on the Lord
Desmond Stephenson was a British paratrooper wounded and captured by the Germans in Holland. He was taken to a makeshift, overcrowded hospital that came under attack from artillery fire. Shells were exploding everywhere, blowing out the hospital’s doors and windows. As he huddled with others in a stairwell, he had an amazing and uplifting experience:
A voice seemed to say to me, “Why not call on the Lord and ask him to take care of you,” and I did. I prayed to him for protection and guidance and immediately my shattered nerves were steadied and I was able to look at others and steady them without feeling the same. I had a new life and in the midst of all this noise and tumult I had a peace of mind unknown to me before. It was wonderful to have a joy unspeakable, and since then my Jesus has stood by me most wonderfully.488
Desmond’s faith provided him reassurance and spiritual comfort through many ordeals. He was taken to a prison camp near the Polish border where he was held until the Russian advance forced an evacuation to the west. In the coldest part of the winter of 1944 he walked for twenty-eight straight days and slept in the snow every night, huddled together with other prisoners for warmth. Whoever had to sleep on the ends of a row often did not survive the night. Food was practically nonexistent.
Throughout this desperate experience, Desmond continued to pray and to put his faith in God’s providence. Whenever he found shelter or food, he gave God the credit and his profound thanks. Looking back he was able to say, “I feel sure that he brought me through all this to prove to me his goodness and mercy.”489 Desmond’s life after the war was one of service to his church and fellow men, in gratitude for his own salvation on the battlefield.
He guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The Lord alone led him.
—Deuteronomy 32:10–12