March 23, 2025
I don’t know about you, but I love a good rescue story. You know the ones where something or someone has been saved due to the heroic efforts of another person or a team of people. I do realize there are times when rescue attempts do not turn out the way we would have wanted, but there is something encouraging about reading about “good news” rescues.
I am aware that the most meaningful rescue story any one of us has to share is our salvation story and how God has rescued us from death by sending Jesus to die in our place. I think we can all testify to the fact that God used someone else in our life to be a part of our rescue story, whether it was someone sharing the gospel, taking us to church, or just being obedient to follow what God had asked them to do. You or I may never know how our obedience to something God impressed upon us to do or say has impacted someone else.
I have been thinking about rescue stories due to an incident that happened at my house this past weekend. Wayne and I gave our granddaughter Liza, who is 11, a necklace as a gift for Christmas last year. It was her first "real" necklace and was a brand that all the girls love to wear. It was a gold necklace with a pink heart on it.
She LOVED this necklace, was proud of it, and wore it often. She had it on last Saturday when we attended a baby shower. That evening, she took it off and placed it on the bathroom counter. This turned out to be not such a great idea, especially when your 8-year-old sister comes in behind you. That sister might have "accidentally" pushed the necklace into the sink. Of course, this resulted in lots of tears or, really, more like wailing and gnashing of teeth. Thankfully, Buddy came to the rescue.
He had a skinny long tool with a brush grabber on the end of it that he could push deep into the pipes of the sink. Miraculously, he retrieved the necklace. There was no major harm to it. It did come out a little dirty with a few knots in it. It didn't exactly look the same as it did when it "accidentally" fell in. However, after a little washing and untangling, it was just as shiny and pretty as the day it was purchased and gifted to Liza.
This has been a picture to me of the rescue story God has in our lives. That necklace fell into a cold, dark, lonely place, and that is exactly where we are without God. He rescued us. I have to say there are times, even as a believer, that I might fall into that cold, dark, lonely place. It's not because God has left me; it is because I have taken my eyes off of Him. It is not a fun place to be at all! Sometimes it is even hard to realize you have fallen or what even pushed you to that point.
I know there are trials in my life where it has taken me time to figure out that I have taken my eyes off my Savior. It is up to me to trust Him for each moment, each breath I take, and during each hard trial I might face. He is there and willing to rescue me every single time - but I have to call on Him. He will reach into that cold, dark, lonely place, and His hands will gently and lovingly guide me out.
He has all the tools and knows exactly where I am when I fall. He does not have to search for me blindly like Wayne had to search for that necklace. He already knows where I am. When we are struggling in the hard seasons of life, we might feel like no one knows or understands. Let me assure you that God knows and understands exactly where we are. He knows precisely what we need.
He is also aware of exactly what we are thinking and feeling. He is the ONLY one who literally knows everything about us, which means He is the only one who is able to rescue us. That necklace of Liza's had to be washed, and it took a little work and time to untangle a few knots. She was able to wear it again the next day. Sometimes, when we are pulled out of the dark places in life, we need a little time and work as well. We need time in the Word of God. We need encouragement from others. We need to do the work to get our minds and our focus back on God.
I am certainly not minimizing any hard and dark times during trials we might face. I have been there. It is not easy and takes work on our part. It is a process to get back to that bright and shiny side of life, but with God all things are possible. He will always rescue us - maybe not always like we think we might be rescued - but He always will. Psalms 91:3-4 says "For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."
God is our refuge and our rescue from any hole or sink this life might drop you into. I am sure none of us would choose the dark, cold, lonely place to fall into, but life situations sometimes push us there. Can I encourage you as I encourage myself to reach out and grab hold of God's hand that is reaching down to pull you out? Allow HIM to be the voice you hear, the hand you hold, and the One you trust. He will write your rescue story if you just ask, trust, and place your faith in Him and not your situation. He is always there to rescue us from our struggles and heartaches. We are never beyond His reach, grasp, or grace.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
