March - Lake Union Conference

That saved a wretch like me...we found a number of cars had been stopped. There werea half dozen soldiers in uniform with automatic weapons;these were Hausa soldiers from north Nigeria, the Ibos’most implacable enemies. They were drunk on palm wine,unsteady on their feet and somewhat irrational. They couldnot speak a lot of English. As they came to each vehicle theyasked just one question: “Which nation?” meaning, “Whichtribe?” And when they came to our van they really didn’tneed to ask the question because they saw the tribal markson the face of my driver.“Come out, come out,” they said to him. I knew whatwould happen if he left the van. There were so many storiesof Ibos who were taken just off to the side of the road andshot. I opened the door on my side. “No,” they said and gesturedfor me to stay. The leader of the group was on my sideof the van, so I prayed and began to talk to him. I spoke forabout 15 minutes and as I talked, the other soldiers, who haddeep ethnic and political divisions. In the reports of deathand upheaval I hear echoes not only of the Biafran War, butof innumerable other tragedies of the past century: from thegenocides of Sudan, Rwanda and the Balkans, to the endlessback-and-forth of the Middle East conflict, to the devastationof the World Wars and the Jewish Holocaust.As I see heartbreaking images from Kenya—of a youngman, shirt bloodied and head bowed; of a small child sittinglost and alone beside the body of her murdered mother—thequestion comes forcefully to me: “As one whose life has beentouched by God’s grace, what am I doing to make His presencevisible in a world that desperately needs to hear Hisvoice and feel His touch?”Grace is not just a private, one-way experience. It’s not atheological proposition we can hold up to the light and examine,then put aside and go on with business as usual. Graceis a powerful, living force that cannot be contained. WhenGrace is … not a theological proposition we can hold up to the lightand examine, then put aside and go on with business as usual.been pointing their weapons through the windows of ourvan, also came around to listen. I have no idea what I saidto them—even immediately afterward I could not recall thewords I spoke. But I know it was in English, a language theydid not speak beyond a few words.After a quarter of an hour the leader said to the Ibo driver,“We will let you go, but only because your master talked sowell.” If there was ever a classical case of speaking in tongues,this would be it! Without the intervention of the Holy Spiritthere was no way my words could be properly understood bythe soldiers, let alone impress them to let us pass unharmed.Although there have been other times also, this standsout for me as a moment when I became profoundly awareof God’s presence in my life; He stopped me on my journey,stepped in and said, “I want to give direction to your life.I want you to know that your work isn’t finished; there areother things I want you to do. I will sustain you and stay withyou. Stay with Me and things will be okay.”Some 40 years beyond this event, a different African conflictis dominating headlines. The crisis in Kenya is fueled byGod reaches into our lives, His touch animates us. It opensour eyes to needs around us; it compels us to go into our communitieswith practical, hands-on care. When we feel God’stouch, we can be sure that it is not for our benefit alone, butso His love will also be reflected and amplified in our actionsand our relationships.My hope is that Seventh-day Adventists will be known asagents of God’s grace; that our first care will always be forpeople—before things, before traditions, before our owncomfort. I pray that our churches will be places of spiritualand physical refuge; that all who enter will be embraced withwarmth, acceptance and compassion. And I pray that eachof us, as we reflect back on God’s presence in our lives, willbe able to say with the Apostle Paul: “[B]y the grace of GodI am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect”(1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV).Jan Paulsen is the president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church.Vi s i t w w w. L a k e Un i o n He r a l d . o r g L a k e U n i o n H e r a l d • Ma r c h 2 0 0 8 | 31