Winds of Grace in the Pacific Islands
“There is no counseling office, but the boat, sand, or table becomes the context for biblical counsel.”
Scattered among approximately 25,000 islands throughout the Pacific Ocean, over 12 million people go about their daily lives. The history of the people in these islands is relatively unique, as many of them are descendants of some of the world’s most fierce cannibals. Today, the people in these islands face life’s problems common to man. They are actively searching for answers to meaningful questions while piecing together an understanding of who God is and how they should relate to Him. Although there is a wide array of spiritual beliefs among the Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian communities that exist throughout the Pacific Islands, there is a recurring theme that I have found to be consistent since I was first introduced to the people who live among these islands nearly twenty years ago. The people who live in these islands appear to have a high view of God and the Scripture, which presents an excellent opportunity for them to receive and apply counsel from the Word of God.
As a missionary, the two most common questions I receive from Pacific Islanders are:
What does God want me to do? and
What does the Bible say about my situation?
A High View of God in the Pacific Islands
Without a high view of God, man will do what is right in his own eyes. Just like the people of Israel did when there was no king (Judges 21:25), many of the Pacific Islanders used to live in extreme darkness as they followed the sinful passions of their hearts. By the grace of God, through the faithful efforts of missionaries who were willing to give up their lives (often literally), many people on these islands came to know the One True God.
While their culture and traditions can lead to over-spiritualism and syncretistic tendencies, there is a certainty in their hearts and minds that a God exists, that He has an opinion about them and their problems, and that they need to follow what He says (Romans 1:18-20). They understand that there are consequences for sin and fear punishment for disobeying God. This understanding leads to a hunger to find the truth and a readiness to receive it. The pastors, fishermen, and villagers among these islands know that God is their all-powerful Creator, and in light of this, He can care for them like no one else.
A High View of Scripture in the Pacific Islands
God’s amazing creation is enough to demonstrate evidence of Himself as a Creator, yet it is through Scripture that we come to know Him intimately. It is through God’s Word that people can understand who God is, the nature of mankind’s sinful condition, and the perfect Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As the early missionaries brought the Bible to those in the Pacific Islands, it was accepted and believed to be the Word of God. Their high view of God was then connected to Scripture, and they developed an understanding that God speaks through His Word. While many are uncertain about how to study the Bible for themselves, those who have Bibles cherish them. There is a clear understanding that when the Bible says something, it is more valuable than man’s opinion.
A Readiness for Counsel Drawn from the Word of God
Although the people in these islands are not using the phraseology of “the Authority of God” and “the Sufficiency of Scripture,” these concepts are ever present in their questions. During our conversations, many of them will express a desire to know what God thinks about their circumstances and they understand that God’s thoughts are revealed through His Word. It is with both urgency and joy that they open their lives as they share their great struggles, hardships, and questions with an eager hope.
Common recurring questions we’ve been asked involve marital issues, end-of-life conversations, and issues of assurances of faith. As I open my Bible during these conversations, each one of these individuals looks intently at the pages of Scripture. There is no counseling office, but the boat, sand, or table become the context for biblical counsel. As my wife and I aim to communicate the truths revealed in Scripture, there is a readiness to receive counsel not because it is our opinion but God’s Word. Their high view of Scripture, paired with a high view of God, places them in a position to be submissive to the will of God, to take comfort in His mercy and grace, and to receive the implanted word which can save their soul (James 1:21-25).
About the Author | Michael Seehusen is a missionary and biblical counsellor based in the Pacific Islands.
