Insight from the Pastor

Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin

In early July of 1908, a young Naval ensign had command of the destroyer USS  Decatur in the Pacific. Now ensigns are almost never given command of ships, let alone destroyers, but this ensign showed a lot of promise and the Navy needed someone to take command of her to get her recommissioned and in fighting shape. Having been in command for a few months, the young Ensign became careless in navigating his ship in Manila Bay. Pretty soon he realized that the Decatur had run aground, an offense for which he was court-martialed, removed from command, and reassigned to the fledgling submarine service, rather than to the more prestigious battleships.

Under ordinary circumstances, this would have spelled the beginning of the end of a naval career. But this was no ordinary ensign. Ensign Chester Nimitz not only survived that early blunder, but he thrived, rising to become Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet during the Second World War, eventually earning a fifth star.

To all appearances, Ensign Nimitz's naval career was effectively finished, and he could have simply accepted that fate. But as it turns out, his reassignment to submarine service was a blessing in disguise. For one thing, throughout his career, battleships declined in importance as submarines and aircraft carriers became more prominent. For another thing, it enabled him to command several vessels throughout his career and at an earlier age than many of his contemporaries.

It often appears to us that our lives have hit an insurmountable obstacle, that there is no future in what we're doing. But God has a funny way of taking the wreckage of our lives and making something useful out of them. Just when we have lost hope, God has a way of restoring us. Psalms 42 and 43 both offer the lament of a person who is down and out and who appeals to God for help. Three times in those two psalms, the psalmist repeats a refrain that reaffirms his hope in God in spite of his current circumstances.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.