The other night I was watching an episode of Dateline called Trapped. It told the story of a mother and her two daughters who were almost killed in an accident.
They were traveling down a highway when a semi-truck next to them crashed into them and rolled over their car smashing and grinding it into the guardrail of the bridge.
The truck went over the edge and plunged into the canyon below erupting into flames.
The car was mangled into an unrecognizable heap of metal. It hanged precariously over the edge of the bridge.
It did not look like there could be any survivors inside but there were. All three were alive. They were trapped. At any moment, they could slide off the edge.
Rescue workers cut away at the car. After forty-five minutes they stopped working and backed away. The car was too dangerous and unstable to continue. There was no way to stabilize it. Any crane was hours away.
Then a special forklift from the army came driving up with army soldiers running alongside. They had been there watching the rescue effort. They had stopped earlier, shortly after the accident, and informed the rescue crew that they were transporting a special forklift that could steady the car. The rescue workers had ignored them. Now they would not be ignored again. They would not have even been there if they had not been delayed by many hours at the start of their mission.
Once the car was stable, the rescue work continued. Eventually the mother and her two daughters were free and safe.
The Impossible was Somehow Possible
At the end of the story the moderator pointed out how impossible it was for all three to have survived this accident.
When they started out, the mother was going to let one of the daughters sit in the front seat but instead she had put both daughters in the back. The engine ended up on the passenger's side in the front seat and would have killed anyone sitting there.
The older daughter had thrown a blanket over her head so that she could better see the video she was watching. The blanket protected her from flying glass.
The army troop had the one vehicle that could help in this situation. If they had not been delayed, they would not have been there. If they had been transporting any other equipment, it would have been useless. They had the right equipment at the right time.
If the semi's wheels had come across the car at any other place, it would have killed them.
If the wrecked car had stopped any closer to the edge, it would have gone over the side killing everyone on board.
The moderator concluded that it was just luck.
The mother said, "Thank Goodness" it turned out the way it did.
Euphemisms for Gosh and Geez
Luck did not save them. Goodness did not save them? (How do you thank goodness anyway?)
Goodness in the phrase, Thank Goodness, is actually a euphemism for God. A euphemism is "an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered too offensive or too harsh". Gee Whiz is a euphemism for Jesus. Gosh and Geez are further shortened euphemisms.
Mother Nature is another euphemism for God. How many times have you heard this term used in a weather report? Doesn't the weatherman know that there is no such person as Mother Nature?
Even "Evolution" has been used by scientists as a euphemism for God.
Atheists and embarrassed theists use euphemisms to hide the obvious truth. Father God and His Son, Jesus, are so active in our world that people cannot talk without mentioning them one way or another.
Miracles Don't Happen Anymore
There is a grand scheme engineered by the red pitchfork guy (I don't want to offend anyone by calling him by his name) to hide the amazing things God does every day. He tries to get people to think that miracles are nothing. They are just luck. They just happened by chance. He has already sold most of society on the lie that this wonderful world just happened to come from nothing by chance. They are really, really, really, really lucky it all worked out so well.
Call it whatever you want, just don't use the G word or the J word. G-d had nothing to do with it.
Oh, but yes He did and still does.
The Invisible Force Behind Miracles
God is a generous God (older Bible versions call God's generosity the grace of God - 1 Corinthians 15:10; Titus 2:11). God gives and gives and gives. He cares for people (1 Peter 5:7). In fact, God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Love came from God. God loves each person on this earth and so He does good things for them. He is not just sitting out there, somewhere in the universe, doing nothing.
Jesus also has these same attributes.
All of the good things that happen are things God has done. Most of His work is not even seen. But He still does it.
Miracles happen every day. God is the force behind them.
The One Who Saves Lives
There is one more attribute of God that most people miss.
Father God and Jesus are both called saviors. A savior is someone who saves someone's life, someone who rescues from harm or danger, a rescuer. It does not just refer to spiritual salvation. It also refers to any form of rescue.. God is in the business of rescuing people who are in harm's way.
"...we have anticipated good based on the living God who is a rescuer of all kinds of people, especially trusting people." (1 Timothy 4:10b BV)
We need to realize that when people's lives are rescued like this, God, the Father, and God, the Son, have been at work.
Just the other day a baby was snatched from a grocery cart and held at knifepoint for hours. The intent of the kidnapper was to kill the baby, but the baby ended up being rescued. That was an act of God.
A young man once confided in me about a time when he was driving his car and another vehicle crashed into his side of the car. He immediately said, "God, help me." He was thrown out through the passenger's side and ended up on his feet. His car was demolished, but he didn't have a scratch. He told me that he thought God had saved his life. He was right. This is the kind of thing that God does for those who trust Him.
Jesus and the Father are busy saving lives in our world. Jesus said that His Father works and so does He (John 5:17). What do you think they are doing? One thing they are doing is saving lives. They are the real super heros flying around rescuing people in trouble. Open your eyes and you will see it.
If you ever find your life in danger, call on Jesus and He will save you from the danger. "Everyone, whoever calls on the name of the Master will be rescued" (Romans 10:13 BV)
Thank goodness that Jesus and the Father save lives. This world would be a lot worse off if they didn't.
(Yes, He also saves people from a miserable or destructive life and an eternity in hell. To learn more about that, please see the following article: Your Toy or God's Semi - Salvation)