A Way Out
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to
man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will
also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." -
1 Corinthians 10:13
On June 2, 1995, Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady was flying
an F-16 fighter over NATO's "no-fly zone" over western
Bosnia. Suddenly a Serb surface-to-air missile ripped
through his aircraft. Reaching for the eject handle he
remembers praying: "Dear God, let it work," and it worked.
Floating down some 26,000 feet, the Serbian soldiers were quickly moving to where he was going to land. Scott prayed again: "Lord, let me at least have someone know I'm alive and maybe come rescue me."
Landing on a hill, Scott began his evasion. Bosnian Serb search parties tried to flush him out by firing rifles into the bushes where he was hiding. For the next five days Scott was constantly praying. He moved from place-to-place at night, sending out short messages letting others know he was alive. He subsisted on leaves, grass, and ants, and catching rainwater in Ziploc plastic bags. Though he was hungry and cold, he knew that a superpower would be working to save him.
Then early on June 8, O'Grady's prayers were answered. He
reached a safe place and radioed for help. Headquarters
immediately dispatched about forty planes for his rescue.
When the helicopter landed in the clearing near where
O'Grady was hiding, he didn't relax in the brush. He shook
off fatigue, fought through bushes and with every ounce of
energy he had, ran to the escape that had been provided for
him.
We are often thrust into hostile situations in our own
lives. But in each instance, the Lord is faithful to provide
a way of escape, if we only look to Him and we take it.
Today in prayer, thank Christ for His faithfulness that in
every temptation, He has provided a way out for us.
"We have an enemy inside of us who tries to convince us that
there is something out there that is better than what God
wants for us, but that's not true. Every day I remind myself
that what God is providing is always the best thing for me."
- Lauryn Hill
God's Word: "if this is so, then the Lord knows how to
rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for
the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment." - 2
Peter 2:9
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail
DEVOTIONS IN 1 CORINTHIANS
pkennedy@devotional.com