Rescued!

I saw a true story on the news that occurred in California. There was a former US Marine heading out on some errands with his cocker spaniel, Honey, locked in her travel kennel in the back of the car. As the driver was backing out of the driveway, he lost control of the car and plunged into a ravine. The driver was seriously injured and feared the worst. After being pinned in his car for several hours, he grew painfully aware that he might not make it. It was then he knew he needed a miracle.

The driver was able to shift his body in such a way he could free a hand to reach the dog’s kennel. In tremendous pain, the man was able to unlock the kennel and free his dog. As Honey looked curiously at her owner, the man told her to go get help. And off the dog went.

The dog walked for quite a distance until coming upon one of the neighbors. Somehow, the dog conveyed to the neighbor that there was trouble, and in typical Lassie fashion, led the person back to the wreckage and her owner in great peril. The neighbor was able to get help to the former Marine and this story has a happy ending. But what makes this story even more extraordinary is the man had only owned Honey for two weeks after adopting her from a rescue shelter.

What a story. I wish I could know what was running through the minds of the man and dog in the midst of that crisis. Luckily this story ends well with the man and dog even on the rescue scale. But each and every one of us needs to be rescued by One with whom we can never get even on the rescue scale.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3.23) We, therefore, are all in need of rescuing. And in Jesus, God sent us exactly what we need for salvation. In Jesus God gives us the sweet gift of forgiveness for our sins. And we can rest assured that God is actively seeking us out, looking for that one special moment to pluck us from the perils of sin and certain death into life eternal. This might seem like a miracle, but there is no end to the length God will go to save those He loves.

Once we are rescued, we need to start living like it! We need to embrace our salvation and with God’s help avoid the pitfalls of life—you know what they are for you. This brings to mind the word repentance: accepting God’s love in Jesus, turning away from an old sinful life, and not returning to it; living a life of repentance forces us to be aware of our weakness and asking God’s help to keep away from those things that put us in peril. And in every day since our rescue, live according to the love of the One who delivered us from our doom.

Honey the cocker spaniel was well aware of how it felt to be rescued. This motivated her to find help and rescue her owner, playing a major role in the miracle. As people, when we’ve been rescued, we owe it to others to share the life-giving power of a rescue by offering them Christ. And then model a rescued life by not returning to the ruins of our old lives, forever embracing the new world of hope and love before us. In so doing, we become part of the miracle; a miracle that forever changes life and provides the hope necessary to live anew for the LORD.

“God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons.
He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much,
the Son who got us out of the pit we were in,
 got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.”
(Colossians 1.13-14, The Message)