GodReports has the story of Werner Simonson, and it’s one of those lives only God could write.
His story
As a German soldier in World War I, Werner was about to be shot after being falsely accused, until a French prisoner he had shared his rations with spoke up for him. He later became a high court judge, then the Nazis sacked him for his Jewish heritage. At the end of his rope, at his niece’s confirmation, it felt like the preacher was speaking straight to him. “In the utter darkness which had engulfed my life I saw a new light.” He gave his heart to Christ, stood with the Confessing Church, and escaped to England with help from Bishop George Bell. He lost his mother and sister in the Holocaust. Yet he was ordained in the Church of England and spent years preaching the gospel in London parishes, leading other Jewish people to Jesus.
My take
Zechariah calls it “a burning stick snatched from the fire” (Zechariah 3:2). Werner was spared twice before he even knew the Lord, and then he spent his life pulling others out. That’s grace. Paul says the gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation… first to the Jew” (Romans 1:16). Whatever you’ve lost, God is not done with your story.
God Bless, and Happy hacking!
