Born for Rescue: A 5-Day DevotionalSample

TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE

TODAY’S STORYLINE

It was never my intention to be surrounded by men with AK-47s, but here we were—and they didn’t seem very worried about my intentions. Obviously, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Americans were not allowed to fly into Afghanistan because of the war that was raging there.

I had decided that Pakistan would have to do.

As is often the case, I really wasn’t sure where I was going when I landed. I just knew I should go, so I did. Our rule of thumb has always been to seek out the epicenter of the destruction— where no one else is going to help—and to go there as quickly as possible.

My only contact for this trip was a Pakistani official named Shahbaz, a dear friend and a huge part of our story. He knew I was there and had passed along one or two contacts, including that of a translator. But other than him and my family, no one had any real clue about our actual location, which meant that no one would know where to look for us if something went south. If there was a metaphorical border for things “going South,” we were literally being detained at gunpoint there.

We had secured the truck and loaded up the supplies before meandering our way through a maze of narrow alleyways and streets crowded with thousands of people walking in every direction. We were already nervous being in this unnamed border town. Suddenly, a Jeep-like vehicle appeared out of nowhere, blocking our passage on the extremely narrow road.

The guys carrying the AK-47s looked just like characters from a TV show—fighting-age men in simple, dusty tunics and turbans. They sported short, black beards. Their faces seemed to be etched in stone with a collective expression of silent suspicion. Maybe I had heard wrong. Maybe God had not really sent us to this seemingly God-forsaken place.

Sure enough, they were Taliban—and they had us surrounded.

SEEING YOUR OWN STORY

When things can’t seem to get any worse, we often find ourselves shaking our fists at the heavens and crying, “Where are you, God?” I’ve been there and my bet is, you have too.

But my ongoing story has convinced me that not only is God always with me, even when I’ve veered off of the path He intended for me, but that He also often reveals Himself by bringing a friend into my life at just the right time. Even as I was surrounded by the Taliban, I wasn’t alone. I had a traveling partner with me, but I also had the influence of my friend, Shahbaz, who had helped me make my way into Pakistan in the first place. Even though he was not standing there at that moment, his guidance had been a huge part of my journey.

As Ecclesiastes reveals, it’s always better to face the highs and lows of the climb of your story with a trusted friend by your side. It not only produces a better outcome in terms of what you can accomplish together, but it also means that when a foothold inevitably gives way and you go tumbling downward, there is someone there to break your fall and pick you up.

It is easy to miss the fact that those who are willing to head into trouble with us are very real extensions of God’s very present help within the trouble. Remember that Jesus made it clear that what we do to others, from a visit to a prison to a coat given to shield someone from the cold, is all done unto Him. Even if it’s only a cup of cold water, we can know that the presence and kindness of a friend is a sacred reality wherein God is very near and active.

LET’S PRAY

Father, I often see my story only in terms of a single character: me. Open my eyes to the reality of the gifts of people around me, helping me look past the messiness and difficulty of relationships to see the treasure of other people. You are always with me, and I thank You for also sending others to climb with me from the depths to the heights. May I let them pick me up when I fall, and may I do the same for them. Amen.