Devotions with Pastor Fran Ruecker

It Truly Was a God thing

! “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://www.bible.com/116/rom.8.28.nlt
​
When I was thinking about what to write for a devotional I wanted something that would pertain to Independence Day. As I was thinking about it I was reminded about an incident that happened several years ago here at Wanamaker Woods that I thought would be fitting to share again.
Sometimes we really don't realize just how God puts things together. As we pray about what God would have us do, He is busy preparing people and situations that will bring glory to His name.
That is what happened on July 2, 2005. As we prepared for our "Salute to the Troops" weekend here at Wanamaker Woods, I had invited a couple from Ft. Riley Army Post to come and give their testimony. I wanted to help in some way by reaching out to those who give of their lives sacrificially every day in service to our country; so, I began to inquire about different organizations that might be a way to extend our help. In talking to one of the Chaplains, I was told about the Walkers and about Kevin's injury. Because of Kevin Walker's injury in Iraq and what his wife had to encounter in trying to get to his bedside in Germany, the Walkers founded the Wounded Soldier Outreach and Support group, a support group for other wives and families.
About two weeks before Kevin and Patty Walker were to come and share, Patty called and told me that Kevin had gotten a four day pass to go home to see his parents. He had not seen His parents since he had gotten out of the hospital and they really felt they needed to visit them. They asked if they could send another soldier that had also been injured in Iraq. I agreed and called the young man and invited him to share his testimony.
A few days later, Dave Sterling came to my office and I visited with him about his tour of duty and his walk with the lord. Dave lost an arm while serving in Iraq, but he had such an upbeat spirit and gave all the praise and glory to God for what had happened to him while in Iraq.
Meanwhile, I had invited a Marine lieutenant that had also been injured while serving in Iraq. This lieutenant was then a lieutenant on the Topeka Police force here in Topeka. Lieutenant Brown was sent to Iraq to train the Iraqi police. Dave Sterling was sent to Iraq as an infantry soldier and was assigned to a Bradley fighting vehicle. Neither one knew about the other.
I introduced Dave and he began to give his testimony. He shared how he was injured on April 6, 2004, 10 miles west of Fallujah by Ramadi. It seems that he was on what they called "observation patrol" when they received word that a Marine battalion was pinned down by the insurgents. The Marines had been ambushed while returning to base from picking up a Marine Sergeant that was at the Police academy in Baghdad. Dave's battalion and another battalion were ordered to go and give assistance to rescue them. The battle became very intense and the Marines lost 14 of their men. Out of Dave's two battalions, 42 men died that day, ten of which were from Dave's own unit. Several men were severely injured, including his lieutenant who lost his leg and Dave who lost his arm.
After Dave's testimony, I introduced Lieutenant Brown and he began to tell his story. He began by saying, "Where is my new found hero, Dave? Stand up my friend, and tell me again where you were on April 6, 2004." Dave told him once again the location where he was injured, and Lieutenant Brown began to tell his story. He told how he was sent to Iraq to train the Iraqi Police. He felt his job there was a relatively safe mission. So safe he wasn't issued a rifle, but was given a pistol instead. On April 6, 2004, he and a company of Marines were coming back from Baghdad when they were attacked by the insurgents. Fourteen of his company was killed and he was injured. Two battalions of Army infantry were sent to rescue them. Forty-two of them were killed and several severely injured.
Neither one knew the other ... Neither one knew that they were injured on the same day ... at the same place ... that Dave Sterling was one of the soldiers that was sent to rescue a Marine named Lieutenant Brown.
But God did ... God knew that Dave Sterling needed to meet Lieutenant Brown and that Lieutenant Brown needed to meet Dave Sterling. Who would have thought that the two would be in the same battle together on the same day half way around the world? Or that the two would be on the same program at Wanamaker Woods? .... The interesting part was that if the Walkers, who were scheduled to come, hadn't decided that Dave Sterling needed to take their place, the two would never have met! Who would have thought? God did! Because it was truly a God-thing!
Pastor Fran