The Real Hero at Dunkirk

In the spring of 1940, Europe was collapsing under the weight of Nazi aggression. France had been invaded, Belgium was falling, and the British Expeditionary Force—alongside French and Belgian allies—was driven back toward the northern coast. By late May, nearly 400,000 soldiers were trapped in and around the port city of Dunkirk, hemmed in by German forces on land and threatened by the Luftwaffe from the air. To military strategists, it looked like certain annihilation.

Walter Lord’s narrative begins with the desperation of those days. Soldiers dug into the sand, waiting for orders, while commanders in London scrambled for a plan. That plan became Operation Dynamo, an audacious attempt to evacuate the stranded armies across the English Channel. The odds were grim: the beaches were shallow, the harbor was under bombardment, and the Royal Navy lacked enough ships to carry so many men.

Dunkirk is in real trouble, and it seems as if the outcome is not in their favor. Nazi Germany has obliterated forces all around, and what seemed like with very little opposition.

Have you noticed life is very much a tension and release? the progression of opposition, the challenge appears before our eyes, and yet at other times the water seems calm.

NO doubt you have gone through this progression yourself, that one day it seems as you are unstoppable, the next you are up against the ropes.

In our text we see a great truth, and I believe GOd wants to help us overcome when the enemy is on the hill.

2 Chronicles 20:13–19 “13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the Lord. 14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.”

Faith Preceeds Victory

2 Chronicles 20 , Judah is in trouble. Much like in Dunkirk they are completeley surrounded by their enemy. As intelligence hits the kings court, he recognizes the gravity of the situation. The total inability to repel this host of invaders, the King turns to God

2 Chronicles 20:1–4 “1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.”

When you are surrounded by enemy, when your outnumbered, It is a good Idea to seek God. So what does it mean to seek God?

Jeremiah 29:13 “13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Seeking God is a matter of your heart. I am seeking God Pastor, by playing minecraft for 20 hours straight. EERRRRHHHH Wrongo. to qoute mr Grinch. WHen you search for Him with all your heart speaks of devotion, commitment and perseverance. It speaks of a single mind, my mind is made up and I am not devided on my commitment.

James 4:8 “8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Isaiah 55:6–7 “6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

We can see in our text that is exactly what King Jehoshaphat did. He set himself to seek the lord and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.

Faith is what moves mountains. it splits the Red Sea, It enables miracles. It stops the mouths of lions and puts down Giants. By Faith we are able to overcome.

Faith is what kingdom of Judah Needs.

2 Chronicles 20:19 “19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.”

By Faith they praised God, with loud voices as if the battle is already won.

I look at my own life and I wish I could say I praised God like I never doubted.

How about you Friend?

On God’s Time

2 Chronicles 20:16 “16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.”

See friend in vs 16 God says Tomorrow in our text tonight. He does not ask

King: God there is a host of enemies.

God: I see that I will Handle it.

King: Yes of course thank you Thank you..… Um But When?

SOmetimes we are like the young boy riding in the back seat about five minutes down the road.… Are we there Yet?

5 minutes later....

Are we there yet?

We would be wise to note, God has his own Timeline. He knows what is best, as long as we have Faith, His salvation is for us. His redemption, His Help in the time of need.

Exodus 14:9–10 (NKJV)

9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.

Genesis 19 God sends His special ops team to extract lot and his family, and not a second to spare

Abraham was promised a son and they laughed in their old age.

ANd right at the right time, JESUS was born a virgin, and all of the hundreds of prophecies he Fulfilled in his Coming. Many of those could only be fulfilled @ the time of his Coming.

HE would have to have come before the temple was destroyed, during Roman rule, while most of the world spoke Greek, and even his Crucifixion He set up the time to be on passover.

When you havent seen deliverence yet… Dont give up, He is never late. God is always right on time.

The Battle belongs to the Lord

2 Chron 20: 15

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.”

GOd Says dont Fear the battle is won by the Lord.

IF you are Seeking God, have Faith in Him, doing what you need to be doing, He will fight For you

I dont know about you but that is incredibly comforting to know.

Then came what Lord calls the “miracle.” A series of unlikely events unfolded that shifted the tide. First, the German armored divisions halted their advance for three crucial days—an order historians still debate. This pause gave the Allies precious time to organize. Second, the weather turned in their favor. The Channel, often treacherous, became unusually calm, while heavy cloud cover shielded the beaches from relentless air attacks.

Most remarkable was the arrival of the so‑called “Little Ships of Dunkirk.” Civilian vessels—fishing boats, ferries, pleasure craft, even yachts—answered the call. Piloted by ordinary citizens, they crossed the Channel to ferry soldiers from the beaches to larger naval ships waiting offshore. Lord paints vivid portraits of these volunteers: men and women who risked everything to save strangers, embodying courage in its purest form.

The evacuation unfolded over nine tense days, from May 26 to June 4, 1940. Soldiers queued in endless lines along the sand, enduring strafing runs and artillery fire, yet clinging to hope. Each night, more men were carried away. By the end, over 338,000 troops had been rescued—far beyond what planners had dared to imagine.

Lord emphasizes that Dunkirk was not a victory in the conventional sense. The Allies had abandoned equipment, lost territory, and suffered casualties. Yet the evacuation became a symbol of resilience and divine providence. Winston Churchill, though cautious in his public statements, acknowledged it as a “miracle of deliverance.” For many, the outcome could only be explained as the hand of God intervening when defeat seemed inevitable.

The book closes with the paradox of Dunkirk: a retreat that inspired renewed determination. Britain, spared the destruction of its army, could continue the fight. The soldiers who returned were weary but alive, ready to defend their homeland. And the world saw in Dunkirk not just a military operation, but a testament to faith, courage, and the mysterious convergence of chance and providence.

2 Chronicles 20:22–30 “22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

So as we are confronted by the enemy, and defeat seems to be what is ahead. We must Seek God, Have Faith, and Remember this is his Battle and He has shown the whole world that he can win the battle, Last time I checked He is undefeated.