In late May of 1940, it appeared the war against the startling expansion of Nazi Germany may already have been lost. Mere weeks after his invasion of France, Hitler’s forces cut off the heart of Great Britain’s army, and many French and Belgian troops, near the port city of Dunkirk on the French coast. Tricia Goyer sets the scene.
“They didn’t have a way to get across the [English] Channel. It was certain that if they were captured by the enemy they would be killed, or they were going to be taken as prisoners of war.”
“So King George called a Day of Prayer – on Sunday, May 26th. Everyone would get together, and they would gather to pray. The pubs were closed, and people were praying. The churches were filled and spilling out into the street. Everybody joined together.”
But the situation couldn’t have been more bleak on the beaches of Dunkirk.
“They thought, if we try to evacuate, we could maybe only get twenty thousand people out. But everyone joined together in prayer, and it was really amazing because on May 28th storms broke out over Flanders. So when they were going to get the soldiers, the air was completely filled with storms. No one was able to fly.”
“The Germans were unable to come and bomb them – bomb the soldiers or bomb any of the vessels coming in but the sea was like glass. So the British Army was able to walk twelve miles to Dunkirk, and there they were able to board ships. They had every little ship, every little dinghy, every little vessel. They said it was like rush hour traffic on the highway.”
“On May 29th, 47,000 men were rescued. On May 3oth, 53,000. And then it continued. In total, 334,000 men were able to get away from safety.”
The power of prayer can become something like a cliche at times, but history is full of its power.
“And I just love that God tells us to turn to Him, and when a nation gets on its knees it’s just such an amazing thing. Here is this whole country on their knees, and all those men were able to be rescued and then later were able to go on and fight Hitler and be able to win the victory.”
Tricia Goyer has written more than fifty books – including novels & non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. She has also published more than 500 articles in national publications. In , Tricia examines the lives of historical luminaries like Martin Luther, St. Patrick, and Corrie Ten Boom, and shows how prayer shaped the lives that shaped our history.
On the Road with Tricia Goyer
