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Our God is a God of miracles AND he’s the same yesterday, today and forever 

Roy was 19 years old, 119 lbs when he was drafted into the United States Army on July 8, 1943. WWII had begun on September 1, 1939. After Boot Camp at Fort Hood in Texas, Private Roy William Gibson was sent to Sacramento, California where he was assigned to the 81st Infantry. Roy’s next stop was San Diego, California where he boarded a ship for the Palaui Islands off the coast of the Philippines, specifically he was assigned to the island of Peleliu. His platoon followed the marines to this dangerous island to build it up and secure it. The island had strategic importance in the Pacific Ocean as it was not far from Japan. Peleliu was filled with deep caves and hilly terrain. The Japanese were hiding where they could and were using very deadly surprise warfare techniques. More than 50% of the US soldiers sent to this island did not survive.

On a fateful day, October 22, 1944, in the evening, Roy’s platoon was on a high hill when they smelled food cooking. They realized enemy troops were nearby. Sure enough, a skirmish ensued.  A hand grenade was thrown into the midst of Roy’s company! The soldiers had been taught to scoop and toss a hand grenade that landed by them. It was very dark that night.

Roy was shielding his fellow soldier who was already wounded. When he scooped and tossed what appeared to be the hand grenade, he found out that in the pitch dark of the night he had scooped and tossed a rock instead.

The grenade went off and Roy was hit. Roy’s fellow soldier died, and the rest of his platoon thought Roy must be dead as well. But, when they started to pull out, Roy cried out, “I’m coming with you,” and he began doing somersaults down the hill! This was beyond incredible! He should have been dead and he wasn’t even unconscious!

A fellow soldier picked Roy up, threw him over his shoulder and started running down the hill. Roy couldn’t walk and was bleeding profusely. A Mississippi fullback, also a platoon member, saw them halfway down the hill, took Roy, and ran him to the medics. Roy (knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior) had worked with the Chaplain and knew him well. The Chaplain saw Roy and said “Gibson, what can I do for you?” Roy appeared to be at death’s door, but amazingly he asked the Chaplain to go through the surgery with him and prevent the doctors from cutting off his injured limbs (hand/foot). Usually on the front lines, there’s no time to do repair surgery so damaged limbs are removed. 

After the initial surgeries, Roy had lost half of his right hand, half of his right foot and he had a huge amount of shrapnel throughout his body. He was put on a ship for Atlantic City, NJ where he spent 1 day shy of a year at Army General Hospital (previously Haddon Hall), now known as Resorts.

He had additional surgeries and a great deal of rehabilitation which enabled him to walk again and use his strengthened right hand very well. The shrapnel he carried in his body for the rest of his life was a constant reminder of God’s mercy and grace. Years later, it was learned that at the precise time that Roy was wounded, back in the states, a young niece of Roy’s was awakened and compelled to run to her parents’ bedroom crying “we need to pray for Uncle Billy (as he was called by family) right now!”

A coincidence? Not at all! That night on the battlefield, Roy was miraculously saved from physical death. The medical professionals were never able to explain why he hadn’t died. It seemed impossible! It made no sense. But “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). Could it be that God was supernaturally protecting Roy, one of His children, because He had plans for him? Yes!

When Roy was about 15 years old, he realized he was one of the “all [who] have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We have all either lied, cheated, stolen, taken God’s holy name in vain, cursed, disobeyed our parents, coveted, been lustful, or many of the above. Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” According to the Bible, Roy understood that his sin deserved judgment in hell for all eternity. But, he also understood that God’s love provided a perfect substitute which is Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for our sins with His shed blood and death on the cross of Calvary 2000 years before. Romans 5:8 says “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Roy recognized that he needed to receive Jesus into his heart as his Savior. So he prayed a simple prayer, admitting he was a sinner and asking God to save him because of Jesus dying and rising again for him.

He did what Romans 10:9 says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” After he had been saved spiritually, Roy heard the Lord’s promises that He would never leave him or forsake him and Jesus never fails. Therefore, Roy held tightly onto those promises and believed them with all of his heart. Not even a hand grenade could blast them away!

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