Homeward Bound

By Jean Kellner

Samuel woke up to the sounds of distant gunfire. He propped himself up on one elbow and squinted to see what was happening in his village. Just as Samuel was about to yell out, his brother, Daniel, jammed his hand over Samuel’s mouth.

“Shhhh!” Daniel warned. Then he motioned for Samuel to stay down and follow him.

As they crawled along the damp ground, Samuel’s mind drifted to the events that had happened earlier that day. Men from a neighboring village in the south of Sudan had fled to his village with the news that rebel soldiers had attacked them, killing many. “Escape quickly before the same thing happens here,” they warned.

Samuel’s dad was leaving with the other men. They would distract the soldiers away from the village so their families could escape safely. “Don’t make a sound; stay together; and stay in the long grass,” he instructed the family. “Head for the refugee camp over the border in Uganda.”

As Samuel followed his mother and brother through the tall grass, he was so afraid he wanted to cry. But he didn’t dare. He was 9 years old and not a crybaby. Besides, his dad needed him and Daniel to be strong for their mom and sister.

To keep up his courage, Samuel tried to remember his father’s last words: “I will come and find you soon. And we’ll build a new home, where we can live in peace.” Samuel knew that to stay safe he must trust his dad and follow his instructions. But it was the thought of a new home with his father that kept back his tears and gave him hope.

Our Bible Connection

Jesus and the disciples had become very close friends. The 12 believed Jesus was the promised Messiah who would rule Israel and bring peace to the whole world. But now, at their Passover feast, which should have been a celebration, the disciples were sad and afraid. Instead of making plans to set up His kingdom, Jesus talked about being caught by the authorities and being put to death. It was awful.

But Jesus left them with a very important promise. It’s a promise for us, too! He said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2, 3, NIV).

We, like Jesus’ disciples and Samuel in our story, are homeless. This world is not our home; our home is with Jesus. And very soon He will come to take us to live with Him. Sometimes we may get impatient and wonder, Why is He taking so long? But you can be sure that Jesus will come back for us—at just the right time.

 —Jean Kellner wrote the Children’s Readings for the 2010 Week of Prayer readings found in the Adventist Review.