Prayer Saves A Nation

I thank my God every time I remember you.
-Philippians 1:3

On September 1, 1939, Adolph Hitler launched his attack on Poland. Then, in six short months, his armies rolled practically unopposed through Norway, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg, and Belgium. In April 1940, he was ready to invade France. The French believed, along with most military experts, that the German advance would be stopped at the French border. Helping the French were more than a quarter-million British soldiers -- nearly the entire defensive force of England.

The French army was routed. 40 days after the German assault began, the Germans had advanced to within 15 miles of ultimate victory, trapping nearly 500,000 French and British troops in the town of Dunkirk. The British parliament was in a panic. If the force at Dunkirk were lost, as seemed inevitable, Britain would be left defenceless. That was the situation on May 23, 1940. 500,000 troops waited at Dunkirk, expecting to be killed or imprisoned by the Germans. But that day in England, the churches, supported by King George VI, their political leaders, and the nation's newspapers, issued a call for a national day of prayer to be held on Sunday, May 26.

24 hours after the call for prayer went out, Adolph Hitler, to the amazement and dismay of his own generals, ordered his armies to halt. Two days later, on May 26, the people of England met to pray. They poured into the churches to plead with God to spare their husbands, sons and fathers at Dunkirk.

At 7:00 p.m., an order was issued to attempt a desperate evacuation of Dunkirk. Anything that could float was sent across the English Channel to rescue as many men as possible. And while the evacuation took place, Hitler's armies remained in place, allowing 336,000 Allied soldiers to be rescued.

To this day, it baffles the historians. Hitler held victory in the palm of his hand, yet he prevented his troops from finishing the job. Many have speculated on why Hitler held his soldiers at bay, but from a military perspective, none make any sense. But there is, in light of the Word of God, a very plausible explanation. In response to the prayers of a nation, the same God who parted the Red Sea and stopped the mouths of lions halted the armies of Hitler.

Many historians see Dunkirk as the turning point of World War II. Hitler never regained his momentum. And if Dunkirk was the turning point of the war, then the outcome of World War II was not ultimately determined by the entrance of the United States into the war or Hitler's foolish attack on Russia. Hitler's defeat began when thousands of men and women fell to their knees before an Almighty God and asked Him to save their nation.

~unknown~