Not Forgotten – Help Is On the Way!

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and

 have no compassion on the child she

 has borne? Though she may  forget,

I will not forget you!”

Isaiah 49:15 (NIV)

Captain Scott O’Grady – a name you might hear and forget but whose story is unforgettable. Captain O’Grady is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. He was shot down during the Bosnian War on June 2, 1995, but was able to eject safely and hide for a week in rough woods before being rescued.

The facts of this true story are incredible. The Bosnian Serb Army hunted relentlessly for the downed captain. He had to stay in hiding by day and move only at night, surviving by eating grass and insects and storing rainwater in a sponge kept in a plastic bag. Eventually he was able to radio his position to the Air Force, hoping that they would receive the transmission and he would be rescued.

But he was in hiding for a week - a week that must have seemed like an eternity to the captain. “Am I going to be rescued? Do they even hear my signals for help? Have they forgotten me?” he must have wondered.  

But here’s what Captain O’Grady didn’t know and couldn’t see. He was not forgotten. Help was on the way.

His rescuers included 51 Marines, two helicopters along with two Marine helicopter gunships, and two Marine jump jets. There were also six aircraft along with identical replacement crews, two Navy warfare planes, two Air Force warfare planes, two Marine Hornets, two anti-tank Air Force Warthogs and a NATO radar plane – all intent on rescuing Captain Scott O’Grady!

And rescue they did. The Marines were only on the ground seven minutes – long enough to rescue the captain and take him to safety. Only later did he discover the extensive team who rescued him. Captain O’Grady was not forgotten.

My friends, we are not forgotten either.  

Read today’s Scripture from Isaiah 49:15. God’s promise to Israel many years ago is also a promise to us today. Just as a mother could never forget her child, God tells the Israelites that He will never forget them. And He will never forget us either!

I don’t know what you may be facing in your life today. A child has left home and has not looked back. The diagnosis is cancer. The refrigerator has quit and there is no extra money to replace it. We may begin to question if God hears us when we cry out to Him and whether we have been forgotten in this world.

I encourage you to hold tight to His words of truth in the Bible. Don’t give up! Our hope and trust are in God alone.

Our physical eyes may not be able to see what is going on around us. But rest assured that – just like Captain O’Grady – we are not forgotten! Help is on the way!

Father, you warned us there would be pain and heartache in this world. But I praise you for never forgetting us and for answering when we call.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you were alone and God had forgotten you?

Application

• During your prayer time, read Psalm 18 every day for a week. Write down specific actions that God does for you, His child.

• Praise Him for how He is going to sustain you and deliver you when you call on His name. Thank Him for never forgetting you, His child.

Power Verses

• Isaiah 49:15 (NIV) “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

• I Samuel 12:22 (NIV) “For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”

• Psalm 18:6 (NIV) “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

• II Timothy 4:18 (NIV) “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

• Psalm 59:17 (NIV) “O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

The Boring Unimportant Tuba

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of

many parts; and though all its parts

are many, they form one body.

So it is with Christ.”

I Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)

Although my grandson Noah didn’t realize it, he taught me a great lesson about the role each Christian has as part of the body of Christ.  

I picked him up from school and as he was loading his tuba in my car, he commented “Ya know, Grandma. The tuba really doesn’t seem like it can do much. A note here. A note there.  Some people might think it’s kinda boring and not very important.”

I smiled. “No, I don’t imagine that the sound of the tuba by itself seems very exciting.”  He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. But it has a unique sound. And the thing is,” he continued, “when the tuba and all the other instruments are being played together, the outcome is amazing!”

Is that not the perfect description of the body of Christ working together to share Him with everyone around us? By ourselves we may not think our talent is of any value. But combine it with the gifts of our brothers and sisters in Christ and we become bonded together with one extremely important focus: being the example of Jesus in a world that does not know Him.

Our Scripture from I Corinthians 12:12 addresses that very concept. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” There is much to learn here.

First, just like the tuba, no matter how insignificant we think our contribution is to the Lord, He considers it to be a special part of the whole – His body. Our gifts and talents are different, yes, but they can all be used for Him.

For example, I may not speak in front of large groups but I can visit one on one with those in the local nursing home. While I am not able to be a missionary in a foreign country as some do, I can share Jesus with those around me who do not know Him.

Even though obligations may keep me from going to areas destroyed by floods and hurricanes, I can help load a semi with badly needed items that people are desperate to have. And despite the fact that I may not be able to play a note on the piano, I can write a note of encouragement to someone who is struggling.

Secondly, each band instrument has its own sound by itself and that sound is just fine. But when they are all played together in harmony, the result is a beautiful piece of music.

In the same way, the members of the body of Christ must work together with their unique talents to share Jesus with everyone around them.

So a boring, unimportant tuba? Not at all. And neither is the talent that the Lord has gifted you as His child.

When we work together, the result is a masterpiece for the Master.

Father, thank you for gifting each of us with different ways to share you with the world. Help us to work together as one body in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Do you ever feel that your gift from the Lord is not as important as someone else’s gift and can’t really be of value?

Application

• Journal all the ways you can serve those around you as part of the body of Christ.

• Invite Christian sisters to your home. Write down each person’s gifts and talents along with ways to work together to show Jesus to those around you.

Power Verses

• I Corinthians 12:12 (NIV) “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

• I Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

• Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

• Psalm 133:1 (NIV) “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

• Matthew 18:20 (NIV) “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” 

Hidden Danger

“Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

It never occurred to me that my husband’s favorite hobby, coon hunting, could be dangerous. He mentioned that to me one evening and I couldn’t help myself. “How?” I asked him. “When the raccoon chases YOU instead of the other way around?” I joked.

He smiled. “Very funny, but no. There are wells on old properties that are covered with vines and branches. You have no idea they are there until you step into one. It’s kind of like having hidden traps everywhere. And you don’t know how deep they are, either, so you can never let down your guard and just walk through a field. You have to constantly be watching.”

Intrigued, I asked “So how do you keep from falling in one?” He replied “You have to always keep your light on to watch where you step.”

Not long after that conversation he came home from a hunt and told me he had fallen into a well. Shaken, I immediately asked “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I turned off my light for just a second and my foot stepped right into a well. The good thing was that as I fell, I grabbed two huge vines that had grown down into it and I was able to pull myself out.”

He raised his hand up as I started to comment: “And before you ask, yes, I kept my light on the rest of the hunt.”

I wonder if David was thinking about stepping into hidden danger when he wrote Psalm 119:105. It says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  

David knew that evil men were all around him, hoping that he would not keep his guard up and would fall into a “well” of danger, a snare that would trap him. But David understood the only way he could keep out of the traps they set was to keep his focus on the Lord, no matter what he faced.

How do we measure up, I wonder? Because Satan sets traps all around us every day. If we do not keep our eyes on the Lord and stay in His Word, we can fall into hidden wells, too.

Misplaced pride, envy, resentment, choosing happiness over joy, collecting things this world offers, and lust for what others have are subtly placed in our lives – our paths – every day by Satan.  

Oh, he does a good job of disguising them with half-truths and deceptions but make no mistake, every single one can catch us off guard and snare us if we start believing we can walk wherever we want without keeping the Light on with every step.

Don’t be deceived by the enemy. Keep the Light on in your life to avoid all the wells of hidden danger.   

Father, keep my eyes focused on you so that I can avoid everything Satan places in my path to try to trap me. My strength comes from you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Do you find yourself more focused on the Lord or are you falling into hidden “wells” of danger more frequently?

• Are you in the Word every day?

Application

• Journal a list of every time in the last two weeks you have taken your eyes off the Light of the Lord and have fallen into a hidden “well”.

• Beside each entry in your journal, write a Scripture that encourages you to stay focused on the Lord. Use today’s Power Verses also.

• Ask a prayer warrior friend to hold you accountable and pray together weekly.

Power Verses:

• Psalm 119:105 (NIV) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” 

• Psalm 25:15 (NIV) “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”

• Proverbs 3:26 (NIV)  . . . for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”

• II Timothy 2:26 (NIV) “. . . and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

• I Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”