The God of Rescue

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”  (Psalm 18:16)

Glen, Ray, and Chris were typical teenagers walking home from school one ordinary spring day in 1986.  They decided not to take a shortcut this day, and it would prove life changing.  They walked up the road that wound its way up the hill and beside a rushing creek swollen from spring rains.  As they laughed and talked they suddenly stopped to listen to a strange sound; it sounded like a tiny cry and it was coming from the creek.  They crossed the road to see an Adidas Gym bag half submerged in water.

They crawled down the steep bank and pulled it out of the surging cold water.  Expecting a puppy or kitten, they unzipped the bag and gasped as there lay a tiny newborn baby shivering and wrapped in a dirty blanket.  Trying to keep her warm, they held her close.  Police and ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital.  No mother was ever found and baby Jessica was adopted into a loving home. 

20 years later one of those boys, now 36, wondered where this tiny baby had gone and what had happened to her.  So he decided to try and find her—and find her he did.  An ad was placed in the paper by the rescuer.  At just that time, Jessica had decided to find out about her birth parents.  Her case worker noticed the newspaper article detailing the rescue, and placed it in front of Jessica and said, “This is you!”

One night a week or so later, Glen got a call to hear a shy, gentle voice at the other end saying, “Hello, I’m baby Jessica.  Thank you for saving me.”  He was so shocked he nearly dropped the phone.  A week later at the Victoria airport, a tall, beautiful, young woman ran into the 3 rescuers’ arms! 

Jessica made this comment afterwards.  “With all the coincidences, God wanted me to be alive.”  We know she is right about that.  God rescued her and had mercy upon that little helpless baby.  What deep waters are you in today?  Whatever they are, be assured that God can reach down to you too and draw you out of the disaster that has befallen you.