In the late summer of 1940, the white cliffs of Dover stood as silent, almost angelic, guardians over the narrowest stretch of the English Channel shielding these shores from occupied Europe. France, Belgium, and the Netherlands had fallen in a matter of weeks, and now Great Britain stood alone as the last free nation in Western Europe.

A sense of foreboding was in the hearts of many British people. What would happen in the coming days and what would be left of our freedom, our future and our way of life? Bonfires were built along England’s south coast to serve as an early warning system, and church bells were silenced, only be rung to announce the invasion of England.

Over in France, German airmen were given the order to prepare for battle. The strategy was simple, to annihilate the Royal Air Force in sky and destroy its airfields on the ground. Total air supremacy over southern England would open the door for Operation Sea Lion, the full-scale crossing of the Channel.

Britain’s future now rested on the very young shoulders of the pilots of RAF Fighter Command who would take to their skies daily in the defense of a grateful nation. They would face an overwhelming enemy with more experience, more aircraft, and more resources than Britain could possibly bring to the fight.

Winston Churchill’s famous words are indelibly written into history “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Many feared but many others believed that God would come to the rescue like he had done weeks earlier when the British Army was stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk.

Facing that mammoth crisis, the King George VI had called the whole nation to prayer. What followed would be described in Parliament as a Miracle of Deliverance. From quiet village churches to great city cathedrals, Preachers spoke of an unshakable kingdom of love and freedom while newspaper headlines were filled only with hate and fear.

Christians prayed for pilots not yet airborne, for children soon to be sent away for their safely and for military and political leaders whose decisions would determine the fate of entire nations. And then they came. Relentless formations of German fighters and heavy bombers poured over the white cliffs of Dover. The Battle of Britain was underway.

From airfields across Kent and Sussex, Spitfires and Hurricanes bravely roared into the sunlight to meet the incoming waves of enemy aircraft. High above Dover, vapor trails pinpointed the deadly engagement. Every bomber that was forced to turn back in the sky meant that innocent lives were spared on the ground.

In churches close to the airfields, services were packed with ordinary people sitting alogside pilots in their flying gear, their heads bowed before take-off. The Battle of Britain raged in these skies for 112 days and then on September 17th 1940, the plan to invade England was abandoned. The RAF had held their ground and emerged victorious.

All these years on, the majestic white cliffs that overlook the Dover Strait seem to speak of a righteous defiance of evil and the unwavering faith of the British people. I’ve recounted these epic stories of our wartime past for most of my adult life, believing they hold keys to understanding an even greater conflict.

Decades after the Second World War, a battle is still being waged within the human soul. It’s what produces that deep search for peace, forgiveness for wrongdoing and personal rescue. We face internal enemies we cannot overcome alone, we need someone to save us. The Bible explains the great human struggle in this way.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Sin is more than mistakes, it’s a condition that separates us from the God who made us. No amount of effort, religion, or self-discipline can win the battles we face. Like Britain in 1940, we’re up against an enemy we cannot beat. We need a rescuer, a saviour

2,000 years ago, Jesus, the Son of God stepped into the madness, not with the weapons of war but with a perfect life untainted by the sin problem. On the cross, he took the full force of the enemy, bearing the punishment for human wrongdoing. The innocent dying in place of the guilty.

Just as in the Battle of Britain, there were desperately dark days when victory seemed so far away, hope was lost, and evil would win. But after three days of death, Jesus rose to life, overcoming the power of sin and death forever. It was the decisive victory in the greatest battle ever fought.

In the summer of 1940, so many placed their trust in this great truth explained in the Bible. Fighting alongside the Few in the sky, was an army who fought on their knees in prayer. The Spitfire and Hurricane pilots will never be forgotten, and I thank God for them. They defended our nation against the greatest human evil of the 20th Century.

But the sacrifice paid and the victory that was won by Jesus offers eternal salvation to all who believe in him and place their future in his hands. The Bible says, “If the Son of God sets you free, you will be really free” A freedom not defined by political liberty, but freedom from guilt, fear, and separation from God. Never in the history of the world has so much been owed by so many to one man, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World.