FEBRUARY 28
Psalm 43:3, “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me.”
Jacob DeShazer grew up not far from here in the small central Oregon town of Madras. One of WW2’s “Doolittle Raiders,” Jacob was imprisoned in a Japanese prison camp after being captured in China. Together with his fellow airmen Jacob endured incredibly harsh mistreatment and abuse. Jacob responded in kind, which only worked to exasperate his troubles.
Some books were brought to the prison camp and amongst them was a Bible. Jacob was told by a guard that he could have the Bible for three weeks. God’s light and truth pierced through the darkness of that foreboding place as Jacob eagerly read through the Word. Reading through the book of Romans, he came across Romans 10:9 and discovered God’s promise of salvation to those who confess and believe in the Lord Jesus. He trusted in Jesus and was saved.
How difficult it must have been to navigate through life in that prison camp, but the truth of God’s Word worked a radical change in Jacob. Jacob learned to love his captors. Even before his release, he sensed a call from God to return to Japan as a Christian missionary. And that’s what ultimately happened. The former captive attended Seattle Pacific College and while there, met and married his wife. Six years and eight months after he had set out to fly to Japan as an airman, he returned to Japan as a missionary. The DeShazers ministered Christ’s love there for thirty years. One high spot in his ministry came when Captain Kato (the guard who had given the prisoners a Bible) became a Christian.
One day, in Jacob’s life, God sent forth His light and His truth. Life was thereby imparted to a sin-dead soul. His situation was dire, but by the truth he was led down a path to unimaginable blessings. No matter the extent of our troubles, the Word of God is powerful to save and transform (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Send your light and your truth, Lord, for we need them to lead us!
“It (The Bible) contains light to direct you…It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass.”—Found in the opening pages of every Gideon Bible
Application questions: What difference has the truth of God’s Word made in your life? Imagine trying to navigate your life’s journey apart from the instruction of the Word. Why is it so important to be led by the Spirit through the Word?
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