Psalm 56:3 (NIV)When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
To me there is a very fine line between being very anxious and being afraid.
On the morning of September 20, 1070, I left my three-month-old daughter with close friends and departed with her mother for Dulles International airport. I had a large suitcase with whatever I thought I needed when I arrived in South Vietnam. I flew through Dallas/Fort Worth airport on to Travis Air Force Base in Oakland, California.
Those destined for Vietnam were to depart early the next morning. That night several of us went to the officer’s club for dinner. We ate like it was the “last supper.” We had shrimp cocktail, steak and all the fixings. I was with two hundred plus soldiers on a DC-8 Flying Tiger contract jet. The flight took 22 hours. We stopped in Anchorage, Alaska to refuel and stretch our legs in the terminal looking like stuffed bears and such.
We reboarded and flew to Yokota, Japan to refuel once again. There was not a lot of chatter on the plane, just subdued conversations. I guess were trying to keep our mind off what might be coming next or who would be on the return flight a year later. The flight attendants were cheerful, and the meals were at least adequate. I could sense a quiet anxiety among those on board.
Our apparent anxiety was not helped when the pilot announced that we would be making a quick descent to avoid any gunfire that could occur. Once on the ground, we were bused to a holding station to await our assignment. Again, anxiety over whether it would be a highly vulnerable location and assignment or one less so. During this whole experience, there was anxiety because soldiers are not supposed to be afraid.
At the same time, there was a certain trust or peace that God would see me through this. I was in the Army Quartermaster Corps. That assignment was to supply food, medical supplies, fuel, electronics, etc. and whatever it took to help the ground troops accomplish their mission. The Army personnel office decided, based on my training and education, that I was going to be assigned to the Office of Economic Affairs at the very secure Military Assistance Command in Saigon.
I was not in great danger like many of the troops in Vietnam. I dealt with some survivor guilt from 1971 until 2016. I know what it is to be anxious or afraid. However, I have the faith of things unseen that God will take care of me.
Let us pray: Dear God, help us to put our faith in you and trust that you will reduce our fear and anxiety in the future. Amen.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
