I just finished this book, Wounded Tiger by T Martin Bennett. I think it may have made it into my top 10 favorites. You would think a book about World War II would be anything but encouraging right now considering the political unrest in our country but this book is not your ordinary war history book. T Martin Bennett follows the lives of key people in the events of World War II who by God’s grace cross paths in ways you would never thought possible if you only know the text book side of things. Before I get into that I want to share a reoccurring theme I found in this book that I believe is true of many wars. While reading the personal accounts in this book a scripture came to mind: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:1-5). This is not to say that war is entirely unnecessary or avoidable in this world but that much of the tensions that lead to war come out of differing and usually worldly ideas of what will bring peace and stability; who should be in power, where will we get our wealth, what kingdom will rule in a way that benefits the most people or the people that we cherish most? Who should have the most territory? In this broken world we continue to ask these things among ourselves but the only one who can provide the peace and stability that we desire is Jesus Christ; all other solutions are temporary and there is always a loser. Hold on to these thoughts as I walk you through the events of this book. If you are a history buff, you may have heard of Mitsuo Fuchida, if not you have most definitely heard of the pearl harbor attacks. Mitsuo Fuchida was a Japanese captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and a bomber aviator in the Japanese navy before and during World War II. He was the man who led the first wave of attacks on pearl harbor and is considered a war hero in Japan. Having already heard the synopsis of this book I already know that Fuchida becomes a believer after the war but I could not fathom in my mind how in the world a man like him would have such an amazing turn around. I found myself trying to race through the pages to find his turning point which I found was preceded by several events and people even during the war. Let me explain. Before Fuchida became a Christian, God had another life to transform first: Jacob Deshazer. You may also be a history buff if you recognize that name but most of us know who the Doolittle raiders are. Jacob Deshazer was one of the 80 men who volunteered to be a part of the top-secret mission to bomb Tokyo in April of 1942. After a successful raid, the plan was to land in free China and return home. Unfortunately, their landing didn’t go as planned and Jake, along with several others were taken captive by the Japanese and held as prisoners for over 40 months. The cruelty of the Japanese in these prisons is unfathomable and only further fueled the anger and resentment Jake had towards them. However, by some miracle of God, after several months of torture, the prisoners were given books to share amongst themselves, one of them being a Bible. When it was Jake’s turn with the Bible he read it incessantly, and memorized passages to repeat back to himself when the Bible was no longer in his possession. Jake had finally found hope amidst the cruelty of war. After being attacked by a prison guard for no fault of his own Jake recalled to his mind Matthew 5:44. He began to treat this guard with kindness. Both Jake and the guard began to soften towards one another and a friendship developed between these two former enemies. Jake’s newfound relationship with Christ helped him to endure the remainder of the war and gave him a mission for after his release. It was in a prison cell that God called Jake to return to Japan one day as a missionary, sharing his newfound hope with the Japanese. While Jake was in the states preparing for his return to Japan, Fuchida was doing a whole lot of soul searching. Feeling bitter and disillusioned (his own words in his book From Pearl Harbor to Golgotha), Fuchida took up farming. His time in nature left him contemplating the many times he faced death throughout the war, wondering who, or what, kept him alive and why. In his book, Fuchida writes “Looking back, I now see that God was seeking me before I found him, preserving my life that I might serve him.” While Fuchida was working away on his farm God was preparing his heart to hear the gospel. After the war, Fuchida met with a lieutenant friend who had returned after being held as prisoner of war in America. He was anxious to hear from his friend to hear of how American soldiers treated their prisoners but to his surprise, his friend described the treatment he received as "fairly good" and proceeded to tell the story of a young women who ministered to him and the other prisoners in the camp. This young women, Margaret, was the daughter of James and Charma Covell who served in Japan as missionaries until the tensions of war drove them to continue their missionary work in the Phillippines. Margaret’s parents were brutally killed by Japanese soliders in the Phillippines when they were suspected to be spies, yet here she was serving these men. This women’s kindness not only had a lasting impact on the soldiers she served but was the first step in the dramatic turn around in Fuchida’s life. He wanted to know what would possess someone to forgive their enemies and show them such kindness.
Months later, while at Shibuya station, Fuchida was handed a pamphlet by a missionary named Timothy Pietsch titled “I was A Prisoner of Japan” by Jacob Deshazer. This pamphlet shared Jake’s personal account of being transformed from a man with hatred and a desire for revenge in his heart, to a man returning to Japan to show the love and kindness of Christ to his former enemies. After finishing the pamphlet and recognizing the hatred in his own heart, Fuchida sought out the book that had transformed Jake’s life. Before he even had a chance to open his new Bible, Fuchida came across an article in the newspaper about the Bible being a bestseller and a plea for the Japanese to read this famous book. There was no doubt in his mind that God was pursuing him, and after reading the gospel of Luke, Fuchida gave his life to Christ. These two dramatically transformed lives went on to impact war torn Japan with the gospel and thousands gave their lives to Christ because of their testimonies which were shared all over the country. I found this story so incredibly encouraging, not only to see the amazing and mysterious ways in which God works in peoples lives but it also served as a reminder that people are searching. During these darker times in history, of war, sickness, and poverty there is hope in Jesus. Though this world is passing away a new earth and a new kingdom that will satisfy our yearning for perfect Peace and getting through this time is putting our hope in it’s King. When the need for God’s Peace becomes greater in this world, God’s people have to speak louder, because there are people all around us looking for answers. I love this prayer by Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.” Pierce and I are desperate to share this hope and peace with the Japanese, though we are delayed because of the pandemic, we trust that God is working in the hearts of those he has called us to minister to, even some we may not have met yet. May we all pray into ways we can sow peace in our world during these challenging times.
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