In 2009, I was working as the director of the Installation Control Center on an overseas base when the installation commander called an emergency meeting of his “Battle Staff.” It was the first time a “real world” meeting was called during my deployment. It was 0030 hours, and all of the base’s leadership was represented. The commander briefed the situation. “There is a C-17 carrying dozens of Special Forces members arriving in about two hours. Their mission is classified. We must ‘hide’ them on the base until they depart tomorrow evening. No one outside this room can know they are here!” We quickly began working to protect their location.
There is something about Special Forces members that intrigues us. Maybe we’ve all seen too many movies like “American Sniper” or “Zero Dark Thirty.” Maybe it’s just the mystery associated with them. Regardless, I’m right there with the majority. I’ve dreamt of flying specially equipped military aircraft into hard to reach spots and extracting the “spooks” with their rescued hostage seconds before the enemy is able to strike harm.
Last weekend, we were having dinner with another family who is new to Salatiga. They have been in Indonesia for two years. While he shared some advice and some of his experiences, one piece of our discussion stuck me more than anything else. He shared with us his desire to be part of the Special Forces in Kingdom work. He told us stories of other Christians and the impact they had in different situations. In one story, a group of expat Christians were working to deliver a local villager from an evil spirit’s possession. They tried praying fervently, invoking the name of Jesus Christ… everything they tried was to no avail. Finally someone noticed a haggard old national shuffling by. He was known to be a strong Christian within the village. One of the expat workers called him over to see if he could help. The old man responded to the request with a subtle shake of his head and a sigh, as if to say “Again???” He then moved to where the possessed man was, said one short and simple prayer, and the evil spirit was gone. He was the Special Forces soldier they needed for the mission at hand. He had lived and trained in a spiritually dark part of the world his entire live. As such, he had a lifetime of experience honing in his specific skills which were required to deal with the enemy.
Indonesia is a spiritually dark place. It is the largest Muslim nation in the world. Animism has been practiced for multiple millennium. And there is a long, rich history of Buddhism. Christ is here, and His light does shine, but it is often times difficult to see. This place is the kind of spiritual training ground where Special Forces men and women can be birthed. It is a place where dependence on God seems to be more essential for soldiers in His Kingdom. A place which provides an opportunity… an opportunity to grow more spiritually in the absence of so many comforts we have been accustomed to… an opportunity to train and hopefully become more skilled in helping His “Kingdom come” and His “will be done”… an opportunity to grow closer to Him and hopefully become more Christ-like. It’s not easy; specialized training seldom is. But it is what we have longed for and what we believe is required to be highly skilled and affective at the job we face.
I never learned much about the details of the Navy Seals who touched down at my deployed base that night. In fact, I never even saw one of them. But shortly after their “pit-stop,” Captain Richard Phillips was rescued from being held hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Though I never heard specifics, the 2013 movie based on their mission gave me a pretty good idea of how their specialized training paid off.
It was gratifying to have played a part in that mission, albeit a very small one. Looking back, I now recognize that the entire rescue was made up of countless seemingly minor events which, when you get right down to it, were almost all essential to its overall success. This current mission is no different. I am in training for a new, more specialized role, but it is also one that is based on so many other essential pieces; prayer partners, financial supporters, teammates, etc. As for my work in “the field,” I honestly feel ill-equipped when I consider its magnitude. Hallelujah! Isn’t that what I am supposed to feel? Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9). I doubt many of Captain Phillip’s rescuers felt weak in their task, but I, and you my brothers and sisters, are supposed to. That is what we are “training” for… complete dependence on Him and on each other. We are all essential parts of the Body and we are all in training for the role to which we have been called. Only success in our individual specialized mission isn’t based on individual ability or skill acquired through years of intense military training, our success comes when we submit to His Lordship and trust completely in Him.
Larsons' Light 