On February 1994, I came face to face with death. I was only nine years old. We had just arrived in a village after walking over 100 miles, fleeing the war that ravaged our land. It was in the southern industrial town of Rutile, Sierra Leone. After days of suffering, hunger, and fear, it finally felt like we had reached safety. But that moment of relief was shattered by gunfire.

We had walked straight into an ambush. Live combat broke out between the rebels and government soldiers. Bullets rained down. Explosions tore through the silence. Screams filled the air. As a child, I did the only thing I could—I ran. I darted toward a banana tree, desperately trying to find cover, but it wasn’t enough to hide me.

I was with my mother, my younger brother (then five), and two other young boys my mother had taken in. In the chaos, I caught sight of my mother running for her life—alone. She had left us behind. Not out of neglect, but out of raw survival instinct. She was terrified. And I understood. She was human too.

But I couldn’t let fear paralyze me. I took my younger brother in one hand and the other boy in my other hand, and we ran. As fast as our small legs could carry us, we ran in the direction our mother had disappeared. Suddenly, one of the rebels pointed a gun at us. He had already fired at others. My heart froze. But for some reason—God’s reason—he didn’t pull the trigger. He let us go.

Then, from nowhere, a man with an RPG appeared behind us. He fired at the rebels, giving us the precious seconds we needed to escape. That moment changed my life. I knew, even as a child, that this was no coincidence. This was divine intervention. God had spared us.

Eventually, a military helicopter came and gave signals to the soldiers. We had narrowly escaped the enemy’s trap. That day remains etched in my heart, not because of how terrifying it was, but because of what I learned: God protects.

“They looked unto Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” (Psalm 34:5)

Our safety isn’t in our hands. It’s not in the strength of armies or the speed of our feet. It is in God's hands alone. To my brothers and sisters reading this: whatever you are going through, whether physical danger, emotional storms, financial pressure, or deep confusion—look to Jesus. He is our shelter, our guide, our wisdom, our protector. Politically, economically, socially, even in this ever-evolving world, we must not forget where our true help comes from.

He saved me in the middle of a war.

He can save you too—right where you are.