Opening Story; The Lady Be Good
The year 1942 was a dark day of World War II. Britain under Churchill stood alone against Adolf Hitler. The United States under Roosevelt was in the process of mobilizing. Churchill’s labour deputy Prime Minister said, “Our Prime Minister wins every debate and loses every battle.” Things were not going good.
Germany was moving towards Moscow, Germen subs were clobbering Allied shipping, and German bombs continued to rain down on Britain. In North Africa the British 8th army was in retreat. The effort in North Africa was so bad that Churchill flew to North Africa and purged his generals and installed a new general who was shot down and killed on his flight to Africa. Churchill then installs his last choice for the general to lead the African effort. On August 7th, General Bernard Law Montgomery took the helm of the African effort. Then on Sept 2, 1942 General Montgomery drove back Rommel in the Battle of Alam Halfa. General Montgomery and the Allies wins a victory at El Alamein during Operation Supercharge. Churchill later said “Before Alamein we never had a victory; after Alamein, we never had a defeat.”
1941 and 42 were also challenging days for the US. On December 7th 1941 Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and then on December 8th US enters the war and declares war on Japan. Then on December 11th Germany declares war on the United States. On August 17th, 1942 the first all-American air attack in Europe took place.
Crews were hard to find to fill US war planes so the Air Corps began recruiting from the ranks of teenagers. Wings were given to HS graduates as young as 18! So sever was the shortage of pilots, pilot training courses were cut to just 7.5 months. The US started sending B-24 Liberators into Northern Africa in increasing numbers to be in position for bombing runs into Europe. On a very special day, March 25th, 1943 a B-24 arrives in Soluch, Libya from Topeka Kansas and a few days later was named “The Lady Be Good.” A nine man crew just in from America was assigned to the Lady be Good.
The crew was “older” and was called the pops crew by others at the base. The crew was made of these brave “old” men: Gunner Guy Shelley, 26; Bombardier John Woravka, 26; Copilot Robert Toner, 26; Pilot William Hatton, 25; Gunner Robert LaMotte, 25; Gunner Samuel Adams, 24; Navigator DP Hays, 23; Flight Engineer Harold Ripslinger, 22; and Flight Engineer Vernon Moore, 21.
These young “old” men’s first mission for the new plane and crew was on April 14th, 1943 to bomb Naples harbor on the west coast of Italy. The mission was a 25 plane high altitude daylight raid on Naples Italy without fighter escort. The Lady Be Good took off in a bad sand storm at 3:10pm on an 11 hour flight to Naples and back. The sever winds soon had the Lady Be Good separated from the rest of the bombers. The head winds slowed them down so they arrived at Naples at night long after the rest of the plans had dropped their bombs and headed home. It was 9 pm when she and her crew turned for home. Over six hours to their target, and they assumed around 6 hours back which would leave them coming into their base on an empty tank of fuel. The crew settled in for the long flight back. They should be home about 3 am, so they thought.
Just past midnight people heard the engines of the Lady Be Good as she flew over Benghazi and Soluch. Around midnight a voice message came in from Lt. William Hatton saying “My ADF has malfunctioned. Please give me a QDM.” No report was sent for fear it was a ploy. The ground crews did send up flares, but apparently the crew did not see them with the thick cloud cover. The plane ran out of fuel 442 miles past their base deep in the Sahara Desert. Running out of fuel the crew bailed out with floatation devices attached thinking they were going into the Mediterranean Sea. They had to be surprised when they landed in the sand.
The crew gathered and one was missing; John Woravka, the bombardier died when his shoot did not open. He was the lucky one. The crew walked 78 miles with one canteen of water before 5 of the crew could go no further. Leaving the 5, three men still thinking they had to be close to the base continued on to get help. Sargent Ripslinger made it another 26 miles or 104 miles total before laying down to die. Sargent Shelly made it another 10 miles. Vernon Moore’s body was never found and the plane and crew was never found throughout the war and many years after.
What Went Wrong?
In February 1959 the Lady Be Good was finally found. The plane was in good shape. The radio worked, the instruments were tested and found to be in working order. So why the call for help saying the ADF had stopped working? The answer is wind.
It took 6 hours to travel to Naples, but on the return flight the strong winds had turned to the north and pushed the Lady Be Good towards home. The navigator noticed that the ADF was telling them they were home just 3 hours after leaving Naples. They could not have traveled so far in such a short time. Certainly the instrument was broken. Hence the call for a location was sent. Without a confirming response from the ground they reasoned they would fly on and when it got closer to the time to be there, they would drop through the clouds and visually find home. They did and mistook the dark desert below them for the Mediterranean Sea. They did not have faith in their instruments!
Faith Requires Action over our natural instincts.
This story is an excellent example of faith in action. Pilots must put faith in their instruments. When they are flying and enter the clouds where they lose visual references things go bad very fast if they are not trained to put total trust in their instruments. Why does this happen? Because our since of balance is largely based on our sight and the fluid in the inner ear. If we enter the clouds and lose the visual reference the fluid in the inner ear will not work.
You see when a pilot loses the ability to see outside due to clouds, dark night, etc. the pilot loses his ability to know the planes orientation. Up, Down, Over the Mediterranean Sea or the Sahara Desert. The pilot cannot tell. To compensate for this effect the plane is filled with instruments that the pilot must trust even when his senses are telling him an entirely different story. The pilot must have complete faith in the instruments to survive.
Neil Armstrong said in an interview “As an astronaut I have to have complete faith in my instruments. Faith in instruments is a way of life overriding my natural senses.”
Man has a sense Sin-se problem
Romans 1:21-25
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Man has a sense problem that does not allow him to see clearly. They turn away from God and in so doing they reject truth for a lie and they get all messed up. Their sense of orientation is gone and they lose control of their lives. We all have a sin problem, don’t we? So, how do we get control of our plane again? It is found at the cross. Romans puts our sin problem and need for Christ this way.
Romans 3:22-24
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
We are all sinners, but praise be to God! The righteousness, the truth we all need is found in faith in Jesus Christ! So we can have hope. We can overcome our sense problem.
Let’s read now in Hebrews 4:12.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
We have a loving God that has given us the instruments for life, but do we have faith in his word and the actions that must correspond actions?
God has given us the instruments for living this life, but do we trust those instruments? Do we have faith in them? The book of James is a fantastic book of the Bible and it clears up the misconception between faith and works. I’m sure you have all heard it said I am saved by faith and faith alone. I can’t help the person broken down on the side of the road because I am saved by faith and faith alone. If I did something good I would be trying to work my way to heaven. I can’t be baptized? Why? I’m saved by faith alone.
Of course you also have those that feel they must work their way to heaven. I’ll help them, but I don’t have to like it. Because I must help them is the only reason I’m doing it. They feel that the only way to be justified before God is by their works, but they don’t have faith. We see this attitude clearly demonstrated among the religious leaders during the time of Christ. The reality is that faith is an action word. Let’s read a long passage here, but listen closely to it because it is the key to understanding this battle between faith and works.
James 2:14-26
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
The only passage in the Bible that I see the two words faith alone is right here in verse 24 I’ll read it this time in the NIV, “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”
What is this? Not by faith alone? You see we are not saved by faith alone because you cannot have faith without actions. Faith is an action word. Think back to the introduction story. These pilots were trained to trust or have faith in their instruments. It took 6 hours to get to their target and turn the plane towards home. How could they be back in only three hours? They saw their instruments telling them they were home, but their senses told them it could not be. No way could they be home so fast. So they tapped the glass of the instrument and said stupid thing isn’t working. They flew on to their death. No faith in their instruments. Why? Because they did not act upon what the instrument was telling them to do. Instead they relied upon their senses and their senses were dead wrong. The late Rich Mullins put it this way in his song Faith Without Works:
Well there's a difference you know
Between having faith
And playing make believe
One will make you grow
The other one just make you sleep
Talk about it (yeah)
And I really think you oughta
Take a leap off of the ship
Before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works
Is like a song you can't sing (sing)
It's about as useless as
A screen door on a submarine
Faith comes from God and
Every word that He breathes
He lets you take it to your heart
So you can give it hands and feet
It's gotta be active if it's gonna be alive
You gotta put it into practice
Otherwise
It's about as useless as a
Screen door on a submarine
If we say we have faith and we do nothing but talk when there is another person who was knitted in the womb by the same God who knitted you in the womb and we do nothing, to meet their needs, do we have faith? Don’t deceive yourself. Faith is an action word. If we are all talk and no action then we do not have faith. We have faith in our car’s gas gauge. When it gets low we find a gas station don’t we! We don’t tap on it and go I just filled you up 350 miles ago, surly I have another 100 miles before it is empty. No, we stop and fill it up. It is crazy to have faith in something and not put actions to that faith.
If we believe God truly loves us, cares for us, wants a relationship with us, wants to adopt us and have us as his children. Then why don’t we believe that what he tells us to do is for our own good? Why do we go on living like the world except on Sunday? We have a faith problem don’t we. Just like the crew of the Lady Be Good.
Turn to Hebrews 6:9-12 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: 12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Faith in action is a beautiful thing to see and God will not forget your work and labor of love. Notice that this labor of love we have shown toward God himself as we minister to the saints. Our faith in action is a demonstration of our love of our Heavenly Father. We don’t do works to gain salvation. We do works out of faith for our love of our Creator who has sent his Son to die so we can have a relationship once again with him! Faith is an Action Word! And when we see faith in action it is precious and beautiful beyond description. It is way too marvelous for words.
Closing
There are those that have not clothed themselves in Christ. Today is a good day to start living life by faith and using God’s instrument panel. Galatians 3:25-28 says, “ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
You too can start living a new life, living by faith in action. The water is ready for you to die to yourself and start living for God. The old gone and the new has come! Praise God.
Some here are probably flying in clear blue skies. God is giving you rest from testing and trials in life. I encourage you to stay focused on God and praise him for his Goodness.
Some are flying in the storms. Trials of sickness, injury, betrayal, death of loved ones are shaking your plane, but your eyes are fixed on the instrument panel and you are placing your faith in the promises of God. I encourage you all to continue to place your faith in God. He will not let you down. His promises are true.
Some are flying in the storm and have lost faith and are totally out of control. Get in God’s Word, ask for help, put your faith in God and not your own understanding. God is faithful, trust him and get back in control. He will not let you down!
