During the first days of the Iraq War in the Battle for Fallujah, Marine Lance Corporal Eric Bridges became separated from his Squad. The fighting for Fallujah had been very intense with personnel having to stay close in order to avoid being disoriented.
Alone on the north side of a two story tall building, Lance Corporal Bridges could hear the voices of what appeared to be Arabic speaking persons coming in his direction. In an attempt to get away, Lance Corporal Bridges crawled into a newly build building. Although safe for the moment, he knew that before long the foreign fighters would realize Americans were in the area and begin building searches. If they found him, he knew they would kill rather than capture him.
As he lay low and waited, Lance Corporal Bridges prayed: “Almighty and Merciful God, if You would please, protect and guard me in this most difficult hour. Not my will but Your will be done whatever it is. I know You, O Lord, are all-good and perfect. I put myself in Your Hands. Amen.”
Once he finished his prayer, Lance Corporal Bridges laid as quietly as he could as the foreign fighters’ voices came closer and closer to the building. “Well,” he thought. “I’m toast. I guess I’m not going to get out of this one. I’m ready to come home, Lord.”
At that moment, a small white dog with black paws came out of nowhere. As foreign fighters neared the building where Lance Corporal Bridges hide, the white dog leapt out the door running in the direction of the three men then jumping on the shortest man causing a major distraction. Presuming there were no Americans in the area, they moved on leaving Lance Corporal Bridges undetected.
Within thirty minutes, Lance Corporal Bridges’ squad moved into the area to secure the neighborhood buildings that included the one he had been hiding away in. Lance Corporal Bridges realized that the dog distracted his enemies thus preventing his capture saving his life.
“Forgive me, Almighty Gather, for doubting Your ingenuity and mighty power. I had forgotten that in You any thing is possible when we look to You even when we look to You when You come in the form of a dog.”
In spite of your intelligence, popularity or beauty, every person faces troubled times. When we do, it is so easy to doubt or forget the many victories and benefits that God grants humankind every moment of the day. Some of these benefits often come to us in the most unique and surprising ways!
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