A Model of Calm

With the ceaseless glut of information during this season, I hesitate to even post this. But, it's too good not to.

In June, 1944, the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. In response, the Germans started launching V-1 jet-propelled bombs from mainland Europe to Britain (no small feat at that time). These flying bombs made a loud train-like sound as they flew overhead before descending into the streets of London where they would detonate one ton of explosives. The UK had seen its share of bombardments in previous years during the Battle of Britain, but this brought about a new and terrifying threat. In the first week of the V-1's, there were 10,000 casualties.

On the morning of June 18, 1944, forty-four year old Martyn Lloyd-Jones got into his pulpit and led his congregation at Westminster Chapel in London. He had begun his long pastoral prayer when the sound of a V-1 grew louder and louder. He later recalled, "I went on praying until the noise was so great that I could not hear myself speak." Lloyd-Jones biographer, Iain Murray, continues the story: "Many who were present that day have unforgettable memories of what followed." One such man was Derrick Feene, a soldier based in London who was preparing to join the troops in France. Feene wrote,

"The engine cut out almost overhead and after the silence, when the Doctor [i.e. Lloyd-Jones] faltered -- a tremendous bang! The chapel structure cracked audibly under the effect of the blast and bits of ceiling and dust fell from the roof." 

As it turns out, the bomb landed a few hundred yards away where a service was being conducted at Wellington Barracks. There were over sixty deaths and 300 people injured. Back at Westminster Chapel, a nurse named Molly Pickard recounted what transpired:

"As the impact of the doodle-bug [i.e. V-1] was heard, the entire congregation rose to its feet. After the most brief pause the Doctor continued his prayer, as though nothing had happened, and we all sat down again. It was only after he had finished talking to God that anything regarding the incident was said to the congregation."1

Have I ever mentioned that I love Lloyd-Jones? I can hardly think of a better picture of calm confidence in the midst of terrifying reality. To be sure, Lloyd-Jones was no snake-handler; he was not testing the Lord by refusing to take safety precautions. They did address the matter after his prayer and the church did make various adjustments to their meetings over the course of the war. But, that image of a man covered in ceiling dust calmly returning to prayer after the near miss is burned into my brain as a wonderful picture of trust in God amidst chaos.

There are times when our theology is put to the test. It is perhaps easy to speak of God's goodness and sovereignty when all is well. It is another thing to stare at real danger and uncertainty and still calmly assert the same truths about God. This is why it is so helpful to settle our theology before trial arrives. It provides us with truth to fall back on.

As we stare at the uncertainty of days ahead, let us meditate on the reality that God rules this earth (Isa 46:8-10), His judgments are just and true (Ps 19:9), His ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:8-9), and He means good for all in Christ (Rom 8:28; Heb 12:5-7). Let us fill our minds with the truly good news that Christ has died for our sins that we might be forgiven by God and welcomed into His glorious kingdom. Let us then heed Jesus' words to seek His kingdom and righteousness, trusting that God will provide for our needs (Matt 6:24-35). And let us pray for grace to stand strong as the ceiling dust falls upon us, even if others may be running around in panic.

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1. Iain H. Murray, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 1899-1981 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2013), 255-256.