Saturday, October 18, 2003
Saturday, October 18, 2003
We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of
God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's
word, which is also at work in you believers.
As the war started turning against the Japanese, the prison camps became somewhat more
humane. Some of the guards were more sympathetic. They started giving the prisoners vitamins
and medical treatment, better food and books, including the Bible. DeShazer was one of those
fortunate enough to have a Bible. As he read and reread and memorized, he experienced a
profound change in his life. He found both his thinking and his behavior altered as the word
became a part of him. He no longer hated his guards, even though some of them still brutalized
him. His fear of torture fled. He experienced God's presence in his life. His Bible became a
source of meaning and hope and comfort and truth. The Bible is the source that fulfills our
needs. It is God's truth for our lives.
(1 Thessalonians 2.13
NRSV)
Jacob DeShazer was a volunteer gunner on one of the planes that struck Japan in April, 1942.
His plane dropped it's bombs, then ran into difficulty and crashed. Jacob DeShazer parachuted
into Japanese-held country where he was held captive for 40 horrible months. He was
brutalized, he was deprived, he was terrified in every possible way.
Dear God, thank you for your word that brings me fulfillment. Amen.
