They didn’t want the young man around.

In fact, during his prayer time, they would throw shoes at him. The other soldiers wanted him transferred out of their unit, but it didn’t happen, he was still there, serving as a non-combatant medic.

As a conscientious objector, Desmond Doss stuck out like a sore thumb. This Christian pacifist was an unwelcome guest around the gun-toting soldiers who were eager to fight during World War 2.

I can only imagine that this hostile environment caused Desmond Doss to experience feelings of stress. Here he was, in need of God’s strength to get through the atrocities of war.

Despite sticking out like a sore thumb, when his unit needed him the most, he made sure that he cared for every wounded soldier and became a decorated war hero for his service.

Where was God when nothing around Doss seemed to be going right?

I believe God was right there beside him — just as God is with you, too. We may not be in an active combat zone, but sometimes the stresses of life make us feel as if we’re in a war. In times like these, our only lifeline is trusting God. In moments of stress, weakness, and fear, He steps in and gives us strength.