282 A Dilemma of Faith
Duc was secretly building a boat with fifty other prisoners to escape. As Duc was finishing up on latrine duty, four soldiers grabbed him and demanded to know if he was trying to escape. Despite their threats, Duc denied that he was trying to escape. The soldiers cursed at Duc, but let him go.
Afterwards, Duc felt guilty for lying. However, wasn't Duc lying for a good reason? It was not just his own life at risk if he admitted his plan to escape - the lives of fifty other prisoners would also be in jeopardy. Yet, Duc could not shake the nagging conviction that he should tell the truth.
Duc prayed to God that if he should tell the truth, that God would send the same four soldiers to him again. A few days later, the four soldiers grabbed Duc again, much to his great dismay. They yelled at Duc and accused him of lying to them. They demanded to know what his plan of escape was.
Duc haltingly admitted that he was trying to escape with fifty other prisoners and that they were building a boat to do so. Duc asked the soldiers what they were going to do to him and his fellow prisoners now.
To Duc`s utter astonishment, the soldiers told Duc that they wanted to escape with him and the other prisoners, also. The soldiers helped Duc and the prisoners (after some explanation) to complete the boat. It turned out that the soldiers were actually very good mariners and they kept the boat afloat during the treacherous trip to Thailand. If it wasn't for the four soldiers, Duc and his prisoners surely would have drowned trying to escape to Thailand.
When Duc got to Thailand, he fell to his knees on the shore and thanked God for teaching him a lesson on faith.
- Recommended reading: Psalms 34:4; Proverbs 29:25; 1 Peter 4:19
