This Ain’t No Joke.
There was once a good Christian man who was a paragon of faith in his community. His motto in life was “I trust in the Lord.”
The man decided that it was time to buy a house, and he engaged an agent to help him find one. He looked at several, but only one grabbed him. While showing the man this house, the agent told him that this house was in a designated flood plain, and the buyer should have a flood insurance policy. The man asked when it flooded the last time and was told it was 100 years ago. “I trust the Lord,” said the man, “and God will take care of me. The man purchased the house.
Not long after he moved in, a major hurricane came and began flooding the area. The local police told the people in the neighborhood that there was a likelihood that water could overtake the community. Every one of the man’s neighbors evacuated, but the man stayed. “I trust in the Lord,” he told them. “He will take care of me.”
The floodwaters crept up the street and began flooding the man’s first floor, so he moved to the second floor. Watching from his second-floor window, he saw a firefighter rowing up to his house in a boat. The first responder told him to jump in the water, and he would rescue him. Being a bit of a aquaphobe, the man told the would-be rescuer that he would wait it out. After all, “I trust in the Lord; he will take care of me.” The firefighter rowed off.
The floodwaters rose further and began to envelop the house’s second floor; the man climbed onto the roof. Along came a Coast Guard helicopter with a petty officer manning the winch. The chief called out to the man to take the harness, and he would lift him off the roof and into the helicopter. Being a bit of a aviophobe, the man refused the offer. He would wait it out. “I trust in the Lord.” The man waved off the rescue copter, and the crew flew off.
The floodwaters completely covered the house, and the good Christian man drowned. When he arrived before the Lord Jesus, he was upset. “Lord, I trusted in you, and you really let me down! How could you let this happen?”
To this, Jesus replied, “What are you talking about? Don’t you know that I sent you a realtor, police officer, firefighter, and the Coast Guard to rescue you!”
Throughout scripture, it is clear that “42” uses unlikely human agents to make the Divine Presence known, and even for rescuing his people. He sends people like Saul of Tarsus (a persecutor of the church), Gamaliel (Saul’s Pharisaic teacher and member of the Sanhedrin), Levi (the tax collector), Simon (zealot and activist), a Pharaoh (who put Joseph in charge), Joseph (in disguise), Moses (raised in a Pharaoh’s house), Cyrus of Persia, David (a small ruddy sheep herder), Peter (an impetuous Galilean fisherman), and plenty more…
The Lord uses people’s background, talents, training, and expertise to advise, warn, encourage, and even risk their life for you. So if you are in a bind, and someone offers to help, it is probably a good idea to accept it without overthinking it. Otherwise, you risk turning away help sent by God.
Don’t become a punchline.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
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