Gò0dNews for Everyone
When God Arrived by Dean Draper
I
will never forget that day. It was a beautiful, sunny
and deserved it. But a different person said goodbye to us.
afternoon in Hawaii. With the sun gleaming through
She wasn’t the same silly entertainer we met hours before.
the palm trees, our college choir boarded a tour bus and
She was still wiping her eyes, touched by the music she had
headed for a luau. The young tour guide greeted us with a
heard. She wouldn’t take our money. Instead, she hugged
Hawaiian “Hello” and off we went. She introduced herself
each one of us. The song was worth far more than what
and began to entertain us with island stories and jokes, some
money could buy her. Just another day at work, another
of them funny, some of them with inappropriate overtones.
tour group, became something much more.
After all, we were college students, and her job was to entertain. The luau wasn’t what we expected. Yes, the food was incredible, but the entertainment was again off-color. One of our students was summoned up on the stage for a gag. Unfortunately, she was embarrassed by one of the male entertainers and left the stage in tears. The mood was different when we reboarded the bus. We had experienced the real world with its emptiness and darkness. As we headed back, our tour guide asked us to sing a song. I’m sure something in the realm of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” or “Rocky Top” would suffice. But instead, we proceeded to sing one of the most
I thought about how the Gospel penetrates the human
beautiful Christian songs I’ve ever heard, “The Majesty and
heart, often through music. I was reminded about how the
Glory of Your Name.”
Holy Spirit can unexpectedly arrive when our focus turns
“Oh Lord our God, the Majesty and Glory of Your
from pleasure to worship. I’m not sure that special moment
Name, transcends the earth and fills the heavens. Oh
was for us, as much as it was for that young lady. I am quite
Lord our God, little children praise you perfectly, and so
certain she had never experienced anything like that.
would we.” As we sang, I truly believe the Holy Spirit filled that bus,
I’m reminded of Matthew 5:14, when Jesus said, “We are the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be
because the atmosphere suddenly changed. Tears streamed
hid.” Light penetrates darkness, and it can break through
down that young lady’s face. Yes, the façade was shattered.
any barrier and transform the human heart. There was
The one-liners ended and she stood there in complete
no greater example of this than in that special moment. It
silence. God arrived, and we all knew it.
would be easy to just blend in, to adapt to our environment.
When we approached our hotel, we had all gathered up cash to leave her a large tip. After all, she had worked hard
32 // April 2022
But God didn’t call us to be chameleons, did He? He said, “Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel.” And yes, sometimes that’s through song.
