BBD 06.24.09 Stay in the Race
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(A Devotional Classic from 2002)
Welcome to the 679 new subscribers since January 1, 2009
06.24.09
Stay in the Race
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith. - 2 Timothy 4:7.
In order to bring about the rescue of the nine miners from the Quecreek Mine
in western Pennsylvania (In 2002) it was necessary to assemble a large
amount of equipment and manpower in a short period of time. It was a
desperate operation in a race against time, which involved more than 150
workers and many tons of heavy equipment. The rescue involved making
calculated risks of where and when to drill. Decisions had to be made about
pumping out water and pumping in air. There was also a terrible setback with
a drill bit broke resulting in a delay of 18 hours. Those hours seemed like
an eternity to the rescuers and to the trapped miners who could no longer
hear the noise of the drilling. Questions passed through their minds as to
whether the miners would still be alive after such a long delay, could they
still reach them in time?
We know now that the miners were reached in time and that the decisions made
under difficult conditions were the right ones. With the rescue effort, we
see a parable of the Christian life. We walk by faith and not by sight. We
see through a "glass darkly" while we are living here on Planet Earth. We
have to make decisions many times without seeing everything in black and
white and only believing that we are doing what the Lord would have us to
do. Our lives the apostle Paul says are like being in a fight and a race at
the same time. The rescuers of the miners were in a race against time and in
a fight against the difficult conditions and uncertainties to bring about
the rescue.
During our race, we too will sometimes experience setbacks, or what we think
are setbacks. The rescuers broke a drill bit, and it set them back for 18
very long hours. What a terrible thing we all thought! But now we know it
was really not such a terrible thing. Instead it was a lifesaving miracle
that prevented the deaths of the miners. According to the miners if the
drill had punched through the ceiling of the mine sooner than it did then
the delicate air bubble that was keeping them alive would have been
ruptured. If the air bubble had been ruptured it would have allowed the
water to rush in but with the additional time pumps were able to reduce the
water level so that the miner's chamber was not flooded.
How many times even now can we look back and see that what seemed to be some
horrible thing at the time was actually a good thing? And some day when we
have fought the good fight and finished the race, we will look back over our
lives. As we look at many of the difficulties that we encountered in our
lives most likely we will see that many were for our benefit (Romans 8:28).
So the next time your drill bit breaks, and you are delayed or have to
change course remember it may not be such a bad thing. Stay in the race,
keep the faith and keep on fighting!
Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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