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
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.