“Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb. For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:1-4 NAS)
In February 1970, my US Marine unit was ordered to South Viet Nam. I guess we were sent over to replace Marines who were “rotating” back to the states. I arrived in a new unit on February 8, and for the first few days simply got to know the “old” guys and learned the routine.
It wasn’t long, however, before I was mildly homesick. One might think there were a lot of things to occupy my time, yet despite the camaraderie and battlefield conditions, I soon fell into some serious homesick blues. I remember one day when I spent the whole day sitting alone on a rock pile in tears.
When you are 13,000 miles from home and everyone around is truly a stranger — yes you might know their names — but they are still strangers, then home becomes a whole lot dearer. You remember the soft bed, mom’s wonderful cooking, sibling rivalry, Dad’s wisdom, and that special someone back home.
It seems that every campfire gathering of our squad turned into a story-time of back-home memories. And by the time the sun set and dusk settled, the most gung-ho Marine became a maudlin mess. I just wanted to get out of that “God-forsaken” country and come home.
The climate made matters worse. After a night of rain, sleeping under your poncho, the sun would come out hot and get hotter by noon. Then the rain would begin again, continuing throughout the afternoon and all night again. During the monsoon season, we could count on rain like clockwork. It was enough to cut tempers short and drive the sanest person wacky in short order.
In retrospect, however, those rains provided some protection because the monsoons also deterred the enemy. In addition, this memory reminds me that I can count on God. He is faithful! And that is the issue for this present time of my life: no matter what comes in 2011, God is the Rock. I can count on him!
Dear Father, thank you for being our Rock. Enable us to be faithful to you and achieve your purpose. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous and faithful as the Rock,