Wednesday, October 4, 2023
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When Rescue 9-1-1 Doesn’t Cut It

When Rescue 911 doesn't cut it

Most of us love a good rescue story. When I was younger, a TV show called “Rescue 9-1-1” became a national phenomenon. The show was built on the real life stories of people clutched from the wretched grasp of tragedy and rescued when all hope seemed lost.

Something I always found interesting was how captivating the show was even though I knew the person would ultimately be rescued. I knew the ending. I knew that everything was going to work out, yet I often found myself clinching the arms of the couch and holding my breath as they masterfully built the tension and suspense of the story!

As time has passed and entire chapters of life have been turned since watching that show, I’ve learned in a very real way what many of us have. We will all have moments in life when we will find ourselves in desperate need of rescue, and calling 9-1-1 won’t be what we need.

In the Bible, we find story after story of rescue. In fact, the Bible itself is the story of the greatest rescue ever!

In the Book of Exodus, we find the story of Moses. God’s chosen nation, the Hebrew people, were entering their fourth century of enslavement, and the treatment of them by the Egyptians was getting worse and worse. It was so bad that a mother had to hide her son in a basket and send him down the river in an attempt to save his life so he wouldn’t die by the sword like all the other Hebrew newborn males.

It is here, in the midst of all of this, God continues His masterful story.

Exodus 3:1-10 is an incredibly intriguing passage. In it, we find that God Is going to use the Power of Rescue, to bring about His Promises, to Continue The Story and to set the Groundwork for how He would and still does move, work and reveal Himself even today. While there is more about rescue that we need to look at, what we want to see for today and this week is one of the ways that God works.

In rescue, God redirects the wanderer; in Egypt, at the cross, in our lives today and in the future.

In Exodus 3, we find Moses in a wilderness, watching sheep. It’s not exactly where he expected, or even should be, especially considering his past. After all, he had been saved from the river, raised in pharaoh’s household and was in line to be one of the most influential and powerful men in Egypt. But here he is in the wilderness. And for what? To be a miraculous, well-educated shepherd?

But Moses wasn’t the only one wandering in a place far from what he had expected. The Hebrew people were slaves. Day in and day out they served as slaves in a foreign land, rather than the land they had been promised.

Think of yourself for a second. Are you in a place that five years ago you wouldn’t have expected?

God’s rescue for Moses and the Hebrew people started with Him redirecting them into a purpose and direction they could have never imagined. He does the same for us. When Jesus came, He was clear about His intention to rescue. In Luke 19:10, it reads, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” and in John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life.” He started by redirecting the understanding of why He came and what He planned to accomplish. He is still rescuing and giving life today!

Are you wandering? Are you knowingly in the wrong place? Are you even aware that you are wandering?

God doesn’t have you here to wander. He has a purpose for you! He rescues you into a bigger plan, not simply to wander around without purpose. He has a rescue that He wants you to be a part of.

He has people He’s called you to love,  people He wants to rescue. They are right in front of you at home, at school, and at work! Everywhere you place your feet, just in front of you will be people who need Rescue. They need a person who will show them love, kindness, forgiveness, protection … or simply a warm smile and sincere “hello.”

As you rest in the rescue plan God is working on your behalf, step into your part of being a component of someone else’s rescue plan today. Experience the joy that comes from being used to bring life and rescue to someone close to you, and the miracle of how that brings rescue to you as well!

About Mark Zurowski

Husband, father, friend and pastor. Full-time church ministry for 14+ years. Committed to seeing the local church impact it's surrounding community with the hope of Christ and His Kingdom. A lover of life, beauty, art, music, outdoors, food...ok, just about everything!
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