Like me, I'm sure many of you were gripped by the unfolding story of the dramatic rescue of all 33 trapped miners after more than 2 months underground. We rejoice with the people of Chile and thank God, as they did, for their rescue. And of course, the greatest rescue in the history of Chile has many parallels with the greatest rescue in the history of the universe - our salvation by and in Christ.
When I think about the rescue capsule I think about our salvation in Christ.
When I see the rescuers going down 625 metres to rescue those who are trapped I think of God who opened the heavens and came down (Psalm 18.9).
When I see President Pinera celebrating the rescue of the first miner, but insisting that there will be no real celebration until all 33 are saved, I think of God who wants to save all people (1 Timothy 2.4) and of the good shepherd who will not rest until all his lost sheep are found. I remember that God is love (1 John 4.8, 16) and as such, he always protects, hopes and perseveres (1 Cor 13.7).
When I see the rejoicing and thankfulness of each rescued miner and his family, I think of Jonah's words 'I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice... I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.' (Jonah 2.2, 6).
As we rejoice in the Chilean rescue and in our own salvation, we must not forget the other miners who are still trapped (as I write, 2 of 4 trapped in a gold mine in Ecuador have been found dead). Many others are trapped in physical, emotional and spiritual dark places. We are all Chileans; we are all miners and as followers of Christ, we are all called and equipped to be rescuers, in the power of our great and loving God:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment