General George Thomas was in big trouble.
Through the roar of cannon smoke and musket fire, this commanding officer saw a desperate situation. Throughout this day, everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong. The enemy had pressed his men on all sides, units on his flanks had withdrawn due to a break in the army’s lines and now enemy soldiers were pressing him with rifle fire and artillery.
It seemed that things couldn’t get much worse, Thomas had even been tasked with holding off the enemy long enough for the rest of the retreating army to withdraw safely. And his men were paying a terrible price. Now, Thomas looked towards his only route of escape and saw a cloud of dust rising from the treetops. His eyes strained to see what mass of men could be causing this display, was it reinforcements? Or had the enemy surrounded him?
Sometimes in our lives we peer into the reality with which we reside in hopes of trying to find some solace or comfort to reassure us. We almost strain to see into the future to try and comfort us when things seem so uncertain. Oftentimes we can even overwhelm ourselves with worry or anxiety because we want so much to know certainty from the uncertainty of the future.
The letter of Hebrews speaks to this desperate search, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I would also add that the assurance we have is far greater than any other offering of this world. Our certainty is found in Christ Jesus and the Gospel that he brings. As 1st Peter proclaims, “But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” When the world around you seems to be filled with uncertainty and the future seems bleak, simply go to the one constant certainty within our lives, the Good News of Jesus. His Word and promises will sustain you through those times and remind you that you are not alone.
As for General Thomas’s situation. His men of the Union Army of the Cumberland were being pressed from all sides by Confederate soldiers from Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. His situation was indeed grim, for he was all alone as the rest of the union army retreated from Chickamauga Creek in September 1863. The cloud of dust very well could spell the doom of his beleaguered troops. But as the men emerged from the dust cloud, the forms of blue-clad federal soldiers came into view. Men from Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Illinois arrived in the nick of time to halt the rebel advance and allow the rest of the army to escape. The last regiment to leave the Chickamauga Battlefield was the 86th Illinois Infantry, never showing its backs to the enemy.
Thomas would garner the nickname from that day forward as the “Rock of Chickamauga.” Not a bad outcome for someone whose future appeared to be completely annihilation.
Our future is found in Christ Jesus, my brothers and sisters!
Blessings!
—
Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
