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The Destruction of Random
One of the
humorous stories that came out of World War II concerned a
bombing mission carried out by the German air force on the
city of London. The following morning
the English broadcast commented on the raid and mentioned that
the damage was superficial. To further play down the effect of
the raid, they said that most of the bombs fell at “random.”
When the report reached the German press, it is said the
account came to the public under screaming headlines saying:
“HEAVY DAMAGE INFLICTED ON RANDOM.” According to the German
version, Random was virtually bombed off the map and its
destruction was hailed as a major victory. Perhaps this is
only a story that emerged from the conflict, but it does serve
a purpose.
Perhaps Random is a bigger place than any
of us would like to admit. If all the people who live their
lives at Random were assembled together it would probably be
the most populous city in the world. Random is a place without
a plan or a purpose. Its main streets lead nowhere in
particular and its dwellings are “topsy-turvey”. Its main
business is “Do-as-you-please,” and it is carried out under
the popular slogan: “I-couldn’t-care-less.” Random is grossly
over-populated and tragically under-planned. Its main
intersection is the corner of Flotsam and Jetsam Streets.
Crowded conditions exist on Driftwood Avenue and lots
are at a premium on Deadend Street. The heart
of the city is called Riff-raff Square. Yes,
many people live at Random! It is easy to get lost living at
Random.
The church built at Random is in keeping with
its surroundings. Its pastor came because there was no other
opening for his services. He didn’t receive any Divine call.
His messages are dictated by policy rather than principles. He
is merciless on the “Philistines” and a few hypothetical
“straw men,” but he has little help for the eager faces in the
pews, who live with real problems. Preaching at random will
not solve their problems or minister to their real needs. It
will not alleviate any need or achieve any goal. It is to be
noticed that Jesus preached TO people, not AT them. Sinners
found forgiveness. The sick were healed. Gladness welled up in
hearts formerly gripped with darkness and despair. Their
problems were real and our Lord’s remedy was potent and
personal. Jesus did not preach at Random! It would be a waste
of time.
The destruction of Random would
sometimes be an accurate account of many Sunday School
sessions. We circle over a host of upturned eager faces and
drop a few songs and possibly a bundle of rules. But do we
really hit the target? Is our objective to unload a certain
amount of instruction in a given time or are we really aiming
to teach pupils? Do we focus attention on the lesson or is our
concern for the developing personalities bound up in the eager
minds that comprise our classes? Does the fact that the
majority leave the church after they grow up, reveal anything
pertinent about our effectiveness? Evidently one cannot
accomplish very real or lasting results, if we only strike at
random.
Let’s make a comparison in another field. What
musician ever became famous by practicing at random? Would we
ever get a star athlete among the candidates, who merely
practiced at random? No student would graduate from school if
he just studied at random. The hunter would never return with
any game if he just pointed his gun at random. It is
critically dangerous to drive a car at random and a lot of
wrecks happen on this account. Random has produced no leaders,
proclaims no victories and attracts no one who has a purpose
in life.
A Christian life is a life with a purpose.
You cannot live a Christian life at random. It is tragic to
leave anything so important as your life to the accidental
circumstances of environment. The harbor at Random is filled
with derelicts washed up by the storms on the Ocean of
Life. No
captain would venture to take a voyage without an anchor, a
compass, and a chart to guide his vessel. A ship steered at
random is bound to encounter disaster. There are no survivors
at random. An anchor dropped at random, has not moorings. We
need to cast our anchor with a strong chain of faith to the
Rock of Ages and let Christ be our pilot.
The apostle
Paul is an example of a man with a purpose. Paul experienced
more than the average person in the way of trials. He was put
in prison, beaten many times, shipwrecked, betrayed, deserted,
stoned, often hungry and ill clad. But he said, “The things
which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the
furtherance of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:26) The word
“furtherance” means, “woodchoppers.” Its origin comes from the
days in which Rome was supreme. If an
uprising occurred in any corner of her vast Empire, Rome
would dispatch her armies to quell the disorder. This army
would march in the most direct route to the trouble spot. If a
forest lay in the path of the army, they would recruit the
services of woodchoppers to hew an opening through the forest
for the soldiers. Paul said that all his misfortunes were only
the Divine woodcutters clearing a pathway for him to proclaim
the gospel. His trials, arrests and punishments enabled him to
preach before almost every ruler of his day and he regarded
these circumstances as golden opportunities. Nothing ever
really “just happened” to Paul. Everything had a purpose.
One time Paul was recalling some of his experiences
among a group of friends. In doing so he said, “I kept back
nothing that was profitable unto you.” In this instance, Paul
used a nautical term familiar to sailors of his day. He
compared the gospel to a priceless cargo. When he said, “I
kept back nothing,” he meant that he opened every sail on the
vessel to take advantage of each breeze to propel the boat to
its destined harbor. To Paul, preaching the gospel was both a
task and a trust. It was his responsibility to deliver the
goods. Nothing was left to random. His energy and resolve
concentrated on one supreme goal and today we see his
monuments of faith in every land on the
globe.
Random is still as real as ever. The
paradox of bombing random is that you never really destroy it.
Everyone suffers from loss of power and wasted effort directed
at random. Some people donate money at random---wherever they
“feel” like giving. Donations spread around at random will not
accomplish as much as disciplined efforts.
If we are
wise, we will cease dissipating our efforts in a futile
attempt at Random and focus our concentrated purpose on
defined goals. We will cease drifting and start navigating.
Our spiritual life will be guided by God’s fixed stars to
eternal goals, rather than the deceptive lights that flicker
at
Random.
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