Here is a remarkable story from World War II. From the island of Guam one of our mighty bombers took off for Kokura, Japan, with a deadly cargo. The sleek B-29 turned and circled above the cloud that covered the target for half an hour, then three-quarters of an hour, then 55 minutes, until the gas supply reached the danger point. It seemed a shame to be right over the primary target and then have to pass it up, but there was no choice. With one more look back, the crew headed for the secondary target. Upon arrival, they found the sky clear. They dropped the bomb and headed home.

Weeks later, an officer received information from military intelligence that chilled his heart. Thousands of Allied prisoners of war, the biggest concentrations of Americans in enemy hands, had been moved to Kokura a week before the intended bombing. The officer breathed, "Thank God for that cloud!"

The city that was hidden from the bomber was a prison camp and thousands of Americans are now alive who would have died if not for that cloud which rolled in from a sunlit sea. The secondary target that day was Nagasaki, and the missile intended for Kokura was the world's second atomic bomb!

We don't always understand why things happen, but down the road we may gain perspective.