Just before World War II,
Iceland was going through a harsh economic time known as "the Depression". Many
were unemployed and in despair.
As Iceland is a nation consisting
largely of Christians, many were praying to God for relief, but "not my will,
but Yours will be done."
Then, to make things worse, World War II broke out. As
Iceland had no army, they would be prone for an easy invasion by the Germans.
The outlook became dimmer and dimmer.
On May 10, 1940, six months after World War II was
declared, British warships headed for Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, and
Iceland fell under British occupation.
It looks like things got even worse, doesn't it? The
only problem is, many Icelanders refer to this time period as the "Blessed War".
You see, although their country was occupied and many soldiers lost their lives
at sea, the presence of the British soldiers, and eventually the American
military, revived the Icelandic
economy, bringing considerable relief to the impoverished country.
But that's not all. Although Iceland had been ruled by
the Danish for several centuries, World War II also brought an ironic end to
this. With Denmark occupied by the Germans from April 9, 1940 onward, all
communication between Iceland and her mother country ceased. This gave
Icelanders the opportunity to hold a referendum, and on June 17, 1944 they
became an independent republic.
We never know what the future holds for us, but one
thing we do know for sure is that our future, as believers in the Almighty God,
is guaranteed. We have nothing to fear. If we are going through troubled times
and we find ourselves in total despair, we need to realize that this is our
opportunity to either trust in God or not.
When broken, we can either flourish or perish. It all
depends on Who we put our trust in! Letting God lead the way is always our best
option, for only then can we truly shine.
Jesus, too, faced troubled times, worse than any that
we will ever face. At Gethsemane He voiced "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
to the point of death." (Matt 26:38 NIV)
What did He do in such times? Did He complain? Did he
curse the wicked Pharisees? No way! He went to His Father in Heaven in prayer.
And although Jesus wished that His circumstances would go away (See Matt 26:39),
He put His complete trust in God, His Father: "My Father, if it is not possible
for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matt
26:42 NIV)
Trouble may be looming in the horizon, but God is way
above any of these circumstances. His glory will be revealed. It's our choice to
be part of it or not.
Who would have thought that being occupied by foreign
forces would lead to such huge blessings?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.