WHAT do I write today?” I ask. “About the times I’ve stood by you,” whispers the Lord and I smile as I remember incident after incident: We were just married and I was taking my wife and I were travelling in a three tier, second- class sleeper, non AC of course. The train stopped at a station and into the reserved compartment trooped a group of hoodlums. They scrambled onto sleeping berths and sat. I looked up at a ruffian sitting on my wife’s berth, “She has to sleep,” I said.
“So, sleep,” he said. I caught his arm, pulled him down angrily and he disappeared. I thought it was the end of the matter, but looked up to see the same man with a gang. They pulled the chain and the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. They held sticks wrapped in gunnysacks in their hands. “Get off the train!” they said. I looked around, the other passengers turned away afraid. I was petrified. I looked up. “Stand by me Lord,” I whispered and stood up.
The next moment I watched amazed as the same scared people in my compartment, seemed filled with new strength. They caught the gangsters and threw them out of the compartment. I heard stones being thrown outside, but the train started and I was safe. Another time I stood in line at the JFK Airport, New York looking at my folder of tickets which did not contain the ticket from New York to London. “There’s nothing we can do for you.” Said the airport manager.
“Stand by me Lord,” I whispered and walked to an emergency line where last minute, late- comers booked in. “Where’s your ticket?” asked the official. I shook my head and smiled. He stared at me strangely confused, then slowly got up from his chair and walked to an office, he came back after ten minutes, “I don’t know why I’m doing this,” he said, “but I’ve got you a ticket. There’s a fifty dollar fine though.” I pulled out a fifty- dollar bill. He looked at it, “No,” he said, “I can’t take your fifty dollars. I don’t know why!”
And another time thirty years ago when a whole housing society stood baying for my blood I prayed again, “Stand by me Lord,” and watched those who had made false charges run out at the end of the meeting strange noises of shock coming from their throats as they watched wicked plans falling apart. There are dozens of such incidents, nay hundreds, of a God standing by me; of healing, of phone connections coming minutes short of me being forced to pay a bribe, of finance when broke and so many, many others. “Stand by me, Lord!” is all I ask each day and He does just that..! “If God be for us, who can be against us…”
