Divine Powers 1940 and Now – for the Atheist, Acknowledger, and Believer
On a Thursday in September 1940 Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess was desperately trying to bring about the fall of Winston Churchill as the Prime Minister of Britain so a more reasonable opponent would replace him – one with whom the Germans could negotiate with much more easily and advantageously. Hess charged with the task, arranged for a secret letter to go to the Duke of Hamilton, whom he knew was close to Churchill.
The duke did not reply. As Erik Larson writes in The Splendid and the Vile, “As the silence from England grew long, Hess realized that a more direct approach to [the duke] would be necessary.”
And here’s the interesting part for me. Larson continues, “He believed, too, that a mysterious hand was now guiding him. As he wrote later to his son, Wolf, nicknamed Buzz: “Buz! Take notice, there are higher, more fateful powers which should point out to you – let us call them divine powers – which intervene, at least when it is time for great events.”
Here was the second in command to Hitler, admitting to powers beyond his control, divine powers, that were indeed involved in the affairs of the world, or at least ‘when it is time for great events’ – either getting Britain to surrender or blowing London and the surrounding areas to smithereens.
Some 82 years later, as we watch world politicians criss-cross the globe in desperate efforts to keep the world from destroying itself, we see or hear very little, at least from them, in the way of any recognition that ‘fateful powers’ or ‘divine powers’ exist today and that they are to be reckoned with. (Not quite totally true as some politicians, notably the likes of Pelosi, are very quick to cling to their so-called faith when seeking to defend their actions or fishing for votes.)
Clearly any divine powers that did exist in 1940 are still divine today in 2022. They didn’t change. Man must have changed. I believe we have become so smug, so self-sufficient, so cocksure that we can handle all matters and so adamant we can on our own deliver the world from self-destruction, that any recognition of, or reliance on, divine powers as Hess alluded to, is no longer necessary. In fact, any reference to such entities would only be considered sheer, toddler beliefs and naivety, if not total lunacy.
However, there were back in 1940, as bombs were dropping over their lands and homes, people who did believe in the Divine Power and relied on Him for their safety and courage to keep on fighting the enemy. Similarly, while we like to forget about them, or better still, wish they weren’t around (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called evangelical Christians the worst part of Canadian society), there are still those who believe in God and His Divine Power.
So, where are we in all this?
To answer this question appropriately we have to divide ourselves into at least two groups, maybe three. Atheists, acknowledgers, and believers.
And oh, by the way, we have to state a supposition here: If God does exist, He exists for the atheist, the acknowledger, and the believer. If He does not, He doesn’t exist for the same groups.
Let’s start with the atheists. For them, there is no god and certainly no ‘G’od. Saving the world is totally in their hands and no external assistance spiritual assistance is required, requested, or appreciated. The problem is that they’re losing the battle badly no matter what laws they pass or what campaign they engage in. They will spend their efforts and resources trying, and ultimately will die, being remembered as ‘activists’ that never quite reached their goal. Once dead, they will either die and everything stops (if there is no God) or they will spend eternity without God (if there is a God).
We turn now to the acknowledgers – those who either say “there may be a God” or “there is a God but I’m not too worried about Him (or her) being involved in my life and my goals”. Saving the world is still in their hands, but if there is a God, and He would like to help us out, they would have no problem with that – maybe even appreciate it. But since they would argue they aren’t getting a lot of help from Him these days, any doubts they may have had about Him are growing. Once dead, their lot in life will be similar to that of the atheist.
Finally, there are the believers. They believe God exists and that He is fully aware of the world’s state. He created it. He has a plan for it. And at the appointed time He will, as Hess believed the divine powers he alluded to would, “intervene, at least when it is time for great events”. True believers have also accepted God’s three big gifts to man- and woman-kind – namely His Son as Savior in the person of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Word of God to teach us about Him and to encourage. So when the believer dies, if there is a God, he or she will spend eternity with God. If there is no God, the believer loses almost nothing and ends up in the same state of affairs as the atheist or acknowledger – everything stops for him as he is dead.
Now, I did say he/she loses “almost” nothing because in fact, many believers will tell you that their life spent believing in God and accepting Christ as Savior is so much more rewarding than the life they had before making such decision. So, even if there was no God, believing in His existence would be a net gain.
In 1940, Hitler and Hess on one side, and Churchill on the other, knew things were getting out of control quickly and thousands of lives were hanging the balance, not to mention the future of the world. Today, the world is in the same predicament. You can try to fix it alone or with the help of your associates, but without God. Or you can recognize that while you have a part to play, the matter is under the authority and responsibility of the Creator.
Alternatively, you may want to come to the realization that your own soul and where it might spend eternity is a much weightier matter for you, and everyone else, to settle.
n Ken B. Godevenos, 220814, Murrells Inlet, S.C.
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