7 Dec, 2007

A historic story of forgiveness

On this anniversary of Pearl Harbor, read an amazing story of new life in Christ!

Sunday Morning in Pearl Harbor

The date was December 7, 1941. At approximately 7:49 a.m. Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, 39, led a fleet of 360 Japanese fighter planes through the billowy clouds high above Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He had one thought in mind—cripple the American enemy. As Fuchida and his forces zeroed in on the peaceful harbor, the commander reached for his microphone, smiled, and ordered, "All squadrons, plunge in to attack!"

During the ensuing hours, a pounding fury swallowed up the quiet waters as, one by one, American battleships were hit and began tilting into the sea—succumbing to the surprise invasion. Fuchida’s fleet mercilessly bombed nearby airfields, dry docks, and barracks. And 3,622 U.S. military personnel were reported killed or missing, with more than 800 wounded...

Meanwhile...That same morning, Sergeant Jacob DeShazer was on KP duty peeling potatoes at a U.S. army base in Oregon. When news of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese came over the loudspeaker, DeShazer became enraged and shouted, "The Japs are going to have to pay for this!" At that moment, intense hatred for the Japanese was born in young Jacob DeShazer’s heart, and it grew with every passing day. He soon volunteered for a secret mission as a bombardier in a squadron that became known as the Doolittle Raiders. Four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, DeShazer and the other Raiders made a surprise raid on Tokyo, Japan. But after completing their mission, DeShazer’s plane ran out of fuel. He and the crew were forced to parachute into enemy territory. DeShazer was captured the very next day and was held in a P.O.W. camp for 40 long months—34 of them in solitary confinement. During his captivity, DeShazer was severely beaten and malnourished. Three of his buddies were executed by a firing squad, and another died of slow starvation. All of this added fuel to DeShazer’s fire of hatred for the Japanese, which was becoming all-consuming. "I began to ponder the cause of such hatred between members of the human race," he recalls. "I wondered what it was that made the Japanese hate the Americans, and what made me hate the Japanese." He was about to find out...

photo courtesy starbulletin.com & story courtesy bli.org/pearlharbor/printtrack

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Luke 23:34 (NIV)

34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

How does today's God's Story scripture connect to the stories of DeShazer and Fuchida?

DeShazer remembered hearing about Christianity and how it changed hatred into love. Suddenly overcome by a longing to examine the Bible to see if it held the secret, he began begging his captors for one. Finally, two years into his imprisonment, a guard granted his request, but said he could have it for only a few weeks. DeShazer dove in with wild abandon, eagerly reading chapter after chapter—first the Old Testament, then the New. He began to understand that his sin—including his hatred for the Japanese people—was keeping him separated from God. But it also became clear that he could be reconciled with his Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. On June 8, 1944, DeShazer came across Romans 10:9: "… if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." With a believing heart, DeShazer confessed his sins to God and discovered what true forgiveness is all about.

A Changed Heart —A New Mission

After Pearl Harbor, Commander Fuchida was a national hero. But during the next four years of war he was determined to build on his effective work at Pearl Harbor—and lead Japan to victory. Needless to say, Fuchida was bitter and broken-hearted when the Emperor announced Japan’s surrender. With the end of the war, Fuchida’s illustrious military career was over and he returned to his home village near Osaka to begin farming. Summoned by General Douglas MacArthur to testify about war crimes, Fuchida stepped off a train in Tokyo one day when an American handed him a pamphlet entitled I Was a Prisoner of Japan. The author-Jacob DeShazer. Fuchida was moved as he read how the dynamic power of Christ had transformed DeShazer’s life and his attitude toward his former captors. The peace that DeShazer had discovered was exactly what Fuchida had been seeking. Since the American had found it in the Bible, Fuchida purchased one, despite his Shintoist heritage, to see for himself. It was the account of the crucifixion that grabbed Fuchida’s heart, particularly Jesus’ prayer at the time of His death, as recorded in Luke 23:34—"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

story courtesy bli.org/pearlharbor/printtrack

How can we connect today's God's Story to our lives?

As you look at the following picture of Fuchida and Deshazer enjoying their relationship as brothers in Christ, praise God for His amazing grace which not only provides the forgiveness we need, but the forgiveness we need for and from others!

photo courtesy images.google.com

How can we connect today's story, God's Story and our story to others?

  • Share this amazing story of God's forgiveness with someone.
  • Ask God to give you the courage to forgive someone or receive forgiveness from someone with whom you've had a broken relationship.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.