Catastrophe Averted

TITLE: Catastrophe Averted
DATE: November 23 2018
TEXT: Psalm 121: 1, 2, 7, 8 (ESV) - I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord,  who made heaven and earth. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Gus Hutt is a New Zealand surf fisherman…you know the kind of guy who stands on shore and throws his bait and lures into the ocean’s shallow waters. Like most fisherfolk, over the years Gus has found some very special hotspots. As long as the fish keep biting in that hotspot, he will keep coming back.

Well, one of Gus’ favorite hotspots is in the surf right in front of Murphy’s Holiday Camp in Matata Beach, New Zealand. That’s where Gus should have been on the morning of October 26th. He should have been, but he wasn’t. No, on that morning he selected a new spot… a spot 100 yards further down the beach. Gus had just finished checking his lines when he spotted a porcelain doll which had been caught in the current and was headed out to deeper water.

Only it wasn’t a porcelain doll. Gus found that out when he picked the child up and he squeaked.

What had happened is this: the toddler and his parents were on holiday and camping at Murphy’s. While his parents were sleeping, the child unzipped his parent’s tent, crawled under a flap and managed to make his way to the water which began to carry him out to sea. Gus says, “If I hadn't been there, or if I had just been a minute later I wouldn't have seen him…He was bloody lucky, but he just wasn't meant to go; it wasn't his time."

The owner of the camp, Rebecca Salter, agreed with Gus when she said, it was a "freakish miracle" that the child was saved.

Now I don’t entirely agree with these comments. I don’t agree because I think they’re too narrow.
​
While it is most obvious that the Lord has taken a special interest in this child, I also believe He does the same for each and every one of us. Think upon it….

• How many miles have you driven without an accident;
• how many stairs have you ascended and descended without a stumble or fall?
• How many beats has your heart made without ever taking a day off?
•  How many electrical devices have you turned on and off without receiving a life-ending shock?

Truly the Lord keeps us from evil as He preserves our lives.

But we dare not confine ourselves to narrowing His protection to the dangers of this world. The Lord also wishes to take care of us “forevermore.’ To that end He sent His only Son to be our Rescuer from sin, our Redeemer from the law’s condemnation; and our Substitute Who defeated death.

Now those who see Him with Holy Spirit given faith can join with the author of our Psalm and proclaim: My help comes from the Lord,  who made heaven and earth. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, let my hours be marked by an increasing awareness of Your ongoing handiwork in my life. Fill my heart with gratitude for Your preservation in this world and salvation for the next. In Jesus’ Name I ask it. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Rob Quinn on November 5, 2018 for Newser. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: http://www.newser.com/story/266827/fisherman-catches-escaped-baby.html