Most people are familiar with the two atomic bombs that helped bring about unconditional Japanese surrender and the end the of World War II. You might remember the name of Robert Oppenheimer, the leader of the Manhattan Project and the man credited with building the “big one.” You might remember the name of Colonel Paul Tibetts, the pilot who dropped the first bomb over Hiroshima from his plane, the Enola Gay. President Franklin Roosevelt gave the okay to begin the project, and President Harry S Truman gave the final green light to unleash the weapon and change the world.
With as much attention that those four men received, there are some who are not usually mentioned in the telling of the beginning of the nuclear age. The men aboard the USS Indianapolis played a vital role. The ship seemed like a ship of destiny; when the Japanese launched their surprise attack that brought America into the war, the Indianapolis was on its way to Pearl Harbor, safely 700 miles away from the bombing. In 1945 the ship survived a kamikaze attack when a Japanese suicide bomber successfully landed his plane into the Indianapolis. The ship had to return home for repairs, and thus helped play a major part in American history. Once the repairs were completed, orders were given to transport a special container to Tinian Island that was so top secret, the ship’s skipper, Captain Charles McVay III, did not even know the contents.
The contents were the components of the atomic bombs.
Without knowing that they delivered A-bombs, the Indianapolis went back out to sea, where a Japanese submarine delivered a fatal blow to the American ship. The torpedo’s damage eventually destroyed the vessel. Of the 1,195 men on board, almost 400 died from the blast. 800 jumped into the water, where they were floating dinner for sharks. 316 were rescued, but the guilt led McVay to eventually take his own life after he was court-martialed and blamed for the attack.
A ship that survived Pearl Harbor and a kamikaze attack eventually was destroyed by a submarine just before the war ended. Imagine if the torpedo had hit the Indianapolis on the way to Tinian Island as opposed to on the way from it. Regardless of what you might think about the ethics of dropping these bombs, they certainly shortened the war. General Douglas MacArthur was preparing for a land invasion of Japan, and he estimated that 500,000 people would die. As horrific as the bombs were, and we can certainly debate their morality, they brought an early end to the war.
The Indianapolis was a ship of destiny. The crew was instrumental in ending the last world war. The ship’s story reminds of when people say, “God still has a purpose for you, or else He wouldn’t leave you here.” Once the purpose of the Indianapolis had been accomplished, the ship went down. I am not saying that was providential, but I do believe that is how it happens in life. As long as there is breath in your lungs, Christian, God still has something for you to do. As long as there is breath in your lungs, unbeliever, God is giving you a chance to repent and get right with Him.
Whatever your purpose is—your destiny—then do it. God has left you here, so He has something for you to do. He is leaving you here until your destiny has been fulfilled. If you are still here, and you wouldn’t be reading this otherwise, then God expects you to be working for Him. Share the gospel, meet a need, teach a class, pray for the lost.
When writing I Corinthians, Paul said, “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose (12:18).” The apostle was talking about spiritual gifts and how the Holy Spirit has gifted us according to His sovereign plan. If He has arranged us where He wants us and given us the gifts He has chosen, doesn’t it stand to reason that He also decides how long we are here and able to use these gifts?
As long as you live, God expects you to work. We don’t retire until He calls us home.
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