In the winter
of 2009, a large passenger plane made an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson
River. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed the plane safely
with no casualties, was later asked about those moments in the air when he was
faced with a life-or-death decision. “One way of looking at this,” he said,
“might be that for 42 years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this
bank of experience, education, and training. And on [that day] the balance was
sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”
Most of us will
at some time face a crisis. Perhaps it will be a job termination or the results
of a medical test, or the loss of a precious family member or friend. It is in
those times that we must dig down deep into the reserves of our spiritual bank
account.
And what might
we find there? If we have enjoyed a deepening relationship with God, we’ve been
making regular “deposits” of faith. We have experienced His grace (2 Cor.
8:9; Eph. 2:4-7). We trust the promise of Scripture that God is just and
faithful (Deut. 32:4; 2 Thess. 3:3).
God’s love and
grace are available when His children need to make a “withdrawal” (Ps. 9:10;
Heb. 4:16).
Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past strengthens us for the future. (ODB)
