4 Minute Devotions: Valkyrie Review

Evelyn and I have our own New Year’s Day tradition of going to the movies to see a new blockbuster. There’s usually a show mid-morning, so it gives us the rest of the day to relax and perhaps do some bargain shopping afterwards. So, yesterday we headed to the theater to see what was being shown.

We opted to go and see Tom Cruise’s new movie, ‘Valkyrie,’ which is all about the unsuccessful bombing assassination attempt of Hitler. It was a great movie and the suspense was intense. You knew how it would all end, but you still rooted for the brave souls who sought to rid the world of a monster.

At the end of the movie, all the conspirators are either shot or hanged for being traitors to their country. For years after the war, keeping their memory and lauding them as heroes was highly controversial in Germany. Eventually, their attempt was recognized on a memorial which reads: “Here in the former Army High Command, Germans organized the attempt to overthrow the lawless National Socialist regime on July 20, 1944. For this they sacrificed their lives.”

The film disturbed us and rocked our faith. We were left with this question which no one can answer: why didn’t God allow this assassination attempt to work? If Hitler had been killed in July, 1944, then the war would have ended much sooner and millions of lives would have been saved. The Russians would never have entered Berlin and the Cold War may never have occurred. How could God permit this monster to live for another ten months, creating havoc and destruction across Europe, as well as sentencing countless numbers of Jews to death in satanic concentration camps? Wouldn’t it have been better to rid the world of Hitler sooner?

I guess it’s a question that will never be satisfactorily answered on this side of eternity. Most of the conspirators and members of the German resistance movement were Christians, too. They saw their faith and calling as a means to rid humanity of a terrible and wicked evil in the world. They must have wrestled with this ethical problem more than we can ever imagine.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

In the end, I have no answer, but I still retain my belief that Christ, through his willingness to sacrifice Himself, seeks to redeem the world eternally from all wickedness and evil. Generations may see terrifying tyrants and monstrous dictators rise and fall, but Christ’s reign continues to the end of all history.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes our faith struggles and we are not certain of Your ways, Your truths, Your life. The world is full of inhumanity and wickedness, and it seems as though evil is contaminating the entire earth. In the midst of our angst, give us the courage to believe and the fortitude to hold on to faith. Remind us that Your ways are not ours. In Your Holy Name, we still faithfully pray. Amen.

You can visit the Memorial Website at: http://www.gdw-berlin.de/index-e.php

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Psalm 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. (NIV)

There’s an old joke from Scotland about a wee boy who comes back from his first day of school. His mom asks him how it went and he answers: “It was okay, but I don’t need to go back. The teacher told me she can’t teach me anything.”

Our teachers went back to school this week hoping that the young hearts and minds in their classes will be open to instruction and lessons. My wife is the best teacher that I know. She prepares hours of work for the classroom each day. Throughout the summer, she was poring over new textbooks and writing out exercises for the children. Every weekend, she brings home a whole bunch of papers to grade and new textbooks to read.

Like most other teachers, she’s devoted to the well-being and education of the children under her care. She teaches in public school which has many pressures attached to the job. Her life is invested in the future success of her students. Some of them don’t realize this, of course; but many of them are truly thankful to her when she meets them years later. It always amazes and pleases me when former students come up to her to thank Evelyn for the one year of fifth grade that she taught them. For most of them, it’s a turning point in their lives.

I’ve always been thankful for my teachers. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their gifts of instruction. I’m also thankful that the greatest teacher in my life is also the Son of God. His words and ways influence the challenges and choices that I face each day. His lessons of life confront my selfish and foolish deeds. His teaching is a turning point in my life each day. I may not be perfect and holy. I still say and do stupid things, but Christ’s patient and forgiving nature teaches me a lot about faith and helps me through each day.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Great Teacher of life, the universe, and everything. We thank You for Your words and stories, Your parables and lessons that show us what life is all about. We also pray for the teachers in our schools whose devotion to their profession changes young lives. Bless them for their gifts and skills, their patience and hard work. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.