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Whatever one might think about the Gulf War, politically or otherwise, thousands of Desert Storm veterans testified to seeing God work miraculously on their behalf in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

The tales of divine intervention and of God's abiding presence are many, but they frequently display similarities. Most are like the testimony of a friend of mine -- at best a nominal Christian -- that throughout the war he had a sense of being overshadowed by the hand of God. He had never felt the presence of God so strongly.

I am not necessarily saying that God was behind this war. I don't really know. Abraham Lincoln once noted that soldiers and supporters on both sides of the Civil War prayed to the same God and trusted Him for victory. In the end, only one side won. But I have no doubt that many divine interventions took place in individual lives, according to God's will and mercy. Few people today realize that great evangelical revivals, or "awakenings," occurred among the troops of both sides during the Civil War.

Nevertheless, miracles of true Biblical proportion took place in the Gulf War. Officials report that rain shortly before the invasion exposed the Iraqi land mines so that they could be avoided.

Much had been made of Iraq's chemical warfare capability. However, the winds which normally blow from the north that time of the year turned to the south for 100 hours, exactly enough time for the invasion. The enemy could not use their chemical weapons, since the gas would have blown back on them.

But the most miraculous circumstance, I think, was the mortal fear which fell upon the Iraqis. Their troops were so terrified by the U.S. threat, their superiors hemmed in the front-line troops with mines to prevent their escape. Still, thousands deserted. The few jet fighters which dared to take off, which could have taken a heavy toll on allied forces, for the most part chose to flee for their lives to other countries.

The many weapons of the enemy proved almost totally ineffectual. To me, this is due to more than just the superiority of American weapons. Allied success surprised all involved. I believe the allies' overwhelming success speaks of divine intervention.

I have called Desert Storm a war of Biblical proportion. To illustrate, let me describe similar victories. I think first of the story of Gideon in Judges 6-7. Israel had been invaded by the Midianites, a tribe from east of the Jordan. When Gideon put out a call for troops, 32,000 men responded. However, God told Gideon to send back all except a scant three hundred. You will recall the story, how the three hundred surrounded the enemy camp in the night, armed only with trumpets and torches hidden in clay jars. All at once, they all broke their jars to expose the torches. They blew on their trumpets and shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon."

The Midianites, thrown into sudden terror and confusion, began to kill one another in the darkness. Those who survived fled in disarray, pursued by the Israelites, who captured two of their princes. Victory was complete.

Many other victories of divine origin are recorded in Scripture, such as the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea in Exodus 14; Jehoshaphat's defeat of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites in which the enemy fought among themselves and destroyed one another (2 Chronicles 20); and the slaying of 185,000 Assyrians camped outside Jerusalem (by plague, some think) in 2 Kings 19 / Isaiah 37.

Other historical battles make me wonder. For example, I find it amazing that a rag-tag Texas Army could attack a superior, barricaded force across an open field in broad daylight and prevail, suffering only six casualties. But it happened at San Jacinto in 1836, a pivotal battle which changed the course of American history and led to the doubling of U.S. territory.

The United States went on to become the major instrument for the spread of the gospel around the world. Having said this, I must warn that, like salt which has "lost its savor" (see Matthew 5:13), if our country ceases to fulfil its God-given purpose, God will withdraw his blessings.

We don't always understand God's purposes. But I believe that God is at work in the world, and is both willing and able, according to His sovereign purposes, to perform exploits of true Biblical proportion today.