Colossians 1:13-14
You’ve heard me say or you have read it in one of these devotions, that God often uses ordinary, everyday people and things to provide what we need. Gifted doctors bring healing, first responders rescue and protect us. A stranger’s smile can brighten our day. Our pastor shared a story that illustrated how sometimes we miss the miracles around us because we are looking for something extraordinary. The story went something like this. A man is trapped by rising flood waters, so he prays for God to rescue him. Soon a boat arrives to rescue him, but he sends it away saying God would rescue him. The waters continued to rise until the man was on the roof. He prayed again for God to rescue him and along came a helicopter to carry him to safety. The man waved off the helicopter saying God would rescue him. The water continued to rise and the man was washed away. When he arrived in heaven he asked God why he hadn’t rescued him – God’s reply I sent a boat and a helicopter you didn’t accept either of them.
We live in a dark world, darkened by human selfishness, pride and disobedience. While God often uses ordinary people and things to provide for our needs, only He can bring us out of the darkness of this world. In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers he reminds them that God is responsible for rescuing them from the “dominion of darkness” and for making them subjects of Jesus’ kingdom, who has provided the redemption and forgiveness they needed – that we need.
Here is the thing though – just like the man caught in the flood we have accept God’s rescue attempt. God doesn’t force us to accept his love, mercy, forgiveness – He reaches out His hand and tells us to grab hold of His nail pierced hand and to trust him with our lives - we can choose to knock the hand away or to grab hold for all we are worth.
God is so committed to rescuing us from the darkness that we allow into our world that more than 2000 years ago He put on skin like ours, showed us a better way and then paid the price we could never have paid and can never repay and He stretched out his hands as far as the east is from the west, to rescue anyone who will believe and grab hold.
Once we have grabbed that offered hand, and surrendered our need for the darkness, we are expected to live like children of the King, living in the kingdom of light. Our lives should be overflowing with gladness and joy – not because life is perfect, but because our King is and He is making us perfect day by day.
He won’t let you go once you have grabbed His hand, because He holds you in His heart. I want to challenge you as we step even closer to the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter that as you hold firmly to His saving grace, that you reach your hand out to someone who needs to be pulled from the darkness of loneliness, soul sickness and rejection and use the power He has bestowed on you to bring them within reach of His hand and heart.
A Prayer
Father – Thank you for the times when you use ordinary people and things to provide for us. There isn’t anything we can say for what you have done to rescue us from the darkness of this world. Help us to show our gratitude in the way we worship you each day with our lives. Show in fresh ways the power Your love gives us and help us to reach out a hand to someone who needs to reach you. In the name of Jesus, who sometimes sends boats and helicopters and sometimes reaches out His own hand. – Amen.
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