Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall led the British tributes at the commemorations held at the National Arboretum on August 15, 2020. They were honouring the sacrifices of veterans on the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II.
Many served their country during the war. Some lost their lives. All those who served, had personal sacrifices of some sort. One person who was changed forever during that war was Elmer Rund.
He was an aircraft mechanic, serving at Bellows Field, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, when nine Japanese fighters began strafing the parked aircraft. The pilot standing next to him was killed as soon as the Japanese began firing. Rund saw the enemy planes appearing to leave, only to return immediately, flying abreast with all guns firing down at the field.
Sometimes it is easy to forget a promise but on that day, Elmer Rund made a promise to God he could never forget.
His first reaction was to run. “This is the end!” he thought as he saw the tracers coming closer. Then he dropped to his knees and prayed, “Oh, God, spare me! I’ll do anything You want me to do”.
Miraculously, the bullets did not hit him. Truly God had spared him. As he wondered at God’s goodness, he knew with certainty that God must have a purpose for his life – and that he must keep his promise to Him.
The promise was always in Elmer Rund’s mind. But it wasn’t until ten years later, during service in the Korean war, that he finally understood God’s purpose and will for his life – in fact for every life – because the Lord is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Elmer Rund needed to repent and receive God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into his life in order to become His child. If he did this, God promised that He would receive him and he would be assured of Heaven when he died. Elmer took God at His word. Ever since that day in 1951, he knew in his heart that he had eternal life. He could enjoy being God’s child – a Christian.
While reading his Bible one day, he found another promise God had made to him and kept. He read: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble (facing death, Elmer had certainly called upon God); I will deliver you (the bullets had somehow missed him), and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15). God had fulfilled His promise and now Elmer wanted to glorify God by telling his story to others.
One day, when testifying at a Church service about the way God had protected him, he met Captain Fuchida, the very man who’s “Tora! Tora! Tora!” signaled the Pearl Harbour attack. He, too, had become a Christian and together they witnessed to those in the congregation of God’s redeeming love.
Will you, just like these one-time enemies did, receive God’s forgiveness and love by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
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