I wrote this poem a couple years ago. This is probably one of my favorite stories I have written about.
I read a true story about a team of Marines in Iraq that were overtaken by a sandstorm called "The Churning". These marines found themselves pinned against a small cinder block wall braving the worst storm in a century. For three days they were pinned down motionless and pelted by hot sand. They had to fight for every breath as they choked down sandpaper air. They felt like they were being burned alive.
Finally, on the third day the storm subsided. Some were angry and bewildered at God that He would allow them to suffer this way. God was silent as they cried to Him in the storm but after the storm they saw He worked the bad for good. The storm had misplaced so much sand and it exposed a minefield they would have walked right into. You and I may not understand why we are going through the storm but we must believe that God is working all for good even in the times when we can't hear or see Him.
Back in the year 2004
West of Baghdad 40 miles
Marines on this desert floor
Withstood hardship and trials
In the battle of Fallujah
Stood a man named Sergeant Tim
There came forth a Hallelujah
When poor conditions looked grim
An advancing ominous sky
Threatening to engulf these men
They could not outrun if they tried
In quite a predicament then
The sandstorm called "The Churning"
Soldiers trapped against the wall
Their bodies felt the burning
Prayer to God, a desperate call
Three days pelted by sand and wind
Lying motionless on the ground
Three horrific days they were pinned
A horrendous roaring sound
Furious sandstorm persisted
Survival was appearing bleak
Air particulates resisted
Sand and stones scalded their cheeks
Struggling for each short breath
Battling against their fears
Now they were facing certain death
Storm of every one hundred years
Prepared to be buried alive
Burned in the suffocating storm
Fighting for breath they would strive
As the blinding sand did swarm
Three long days of The Churning
Now it gradually subsided
Three days of intense burning
It became clear God had guided
At last they were able to stand
Assistance the storm would yield
This dust storm misplaced the sand
Uncovering a minefield
At this miracle these men gasped
As they saw this explosive trap
They soon realized and grasped
God watched over them on the map
Underneath the desert sky
Where those fortunate heroes stood
God had heard their desperate cry
He replaced the bad for good
Trials in your life work for good
He redeems what has been wrecked
Your struggles He has understood
He is the master architect
In life we will go through storms
Sometimes for days and days
We may lose sight of His form
But perfect are His ways
Storms of life must be endured
Even if they go on longer
But by faith rest assured
Storms will make you stronger
In trials if you feel unseen
And can't raise a Hallelujah
Remember God and those Marines
How they were trapped in Fallujah