Without witness.

Unbroken.

Unbroken is the incredible, true story of U.S. Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini. Zamperini was a bombadier in WWII whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Louie and two companions floated in 2 rubber rafts for 47 days before being captured and held in Japanese prison camps for over 2 years.

The story of his survival is beyond amazing. So amazing that Unbroken has been on the New York Bestsellers list for over 165 weeks! It has now been made into a motion picture, to be released later this year.

Not Without Witness.

Let me take a short break, and return to that thought (they relate…I promise).

In Acts 14, we find Paul crying out to a group of men and women falling down and worshiping him and Baranabus. He tells them he is just a man, and though God allowed them to do as they pleased, He “did not leave Himself without witness.”

Here is the witness or evidence God sent – rains and harvests and food and joy. This is the story of God before God even showed up (through Paul and Barnabus) in Lystra.

Witness in the Pacific.

In Unbroken, Louie tells a story of being at sea for several weeks. Most days there was wind, waves and action at sea (in the form of sharks, birds, fish, rain, etc). However on this one occasion there was a great peace in the air and on the water. The water appeared to be solid as if they could walk on it. It was what sailors describe as the doldrums.

Through his starvation and fear and pain, Louis and his friend Phil marveled for hours at this sensation. At that moment, Louis had a revelation-

Such beauty, he (Louie) thought, was too perfect to have come about by chance. That day in the center of the Pacific was, to him, a gift crafted deliberately, compassionately, for him…

Louis Zamperini didn’t know God while in the Pacific, but God did not leave Louie without witness of His greatness, grace and mercy.

This is part of the story of God before God truly enters Louis’ life (which He does in a dramatic way).

Witness in Kansas.

I grew up always knowing about God. In my life, He’s simply just been. That’s God in my story before God really entered my story. It’s a much different set of circumstances than Louie’s story.

At the same time, I appreciate seeing God in places or circumstances not necessarily religious. Last week, I was in Colorado. I saw God on the drive out in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I saw God in a feed lot of 50,000+ cattle. I saw God in golden, flat land of eastern Colorado. I saw God in the rugged Rocky Mountains. I’m not alone…for years others have seen the same thing.

You may be like Louis. You might be like me. Or you probably have a story somewhere in-between. Do you know your story? How was God in your story before God truly entered in?

Take some time today to reflect. How was God in your story before you ever let Him in? This is His witness. This is His grace.

We are not left without witness!