Rescued

She was just one.

God does that for us, too.

An innocent 16-year-old San Diego teen has been in the national limelight these past few weeks. Shortly after her abduction by a family friend, a national Amber Alert was issued and an intense search began. I remember walking in to the room with the TV on and being impressed at how rapid and intense the search shaped up in such short order. I loved hearing the police and FBI declare that they were going to bring her safely home.

Within a few days, miraculously this teen was indeed found - in the middle of nowhere - and saved.
She was brought back to her hometown unharmed, but she couldn't go home to the one she knew because her captor had murdered both her mother and brother in his quest to capture her.

The number of rescuers put in place to find this one girl is mind-blowing. If they had not all worked together, we would not have this happy ending for at least her life. She was just one person and all these people put out messages and energy to find her. Amazing, isn't it?

For just one person, law enforcement agencies all over the country were on red alert. They spared no expense, united in the effort to find and save this girl. Even the media joined in with updates and photos, keeping the country current with details.

Hannah Anderson's story reminds me that God does this very same thing.

God's love for each one of us is that personal. He spares the ultimate expense in going after and loving each one of us completely.  Down to every hair on our heads. Just like those searchers, he too does whatever it takes to find and care for us.

In today's media-distracted world, God's desire to relate with us is often drowned out amidst the blare of our politically correct and secular culture. It is most savvy to rejoice at same-sex marriage and the rights of a pregnant woman. The idea that God cares about all this too is lost with the "in your face publicity."

While faith may be lost culturally, God has not changed. Nor is he lost. We are the ones who are lost if we don't acknowledge his loving hand in all creation. The entire Bible can be summed up by saying it is the unfolding story of how God desires to have an eternal relationship with us. We see how he tried everything to lead people to the point of following him and then finally brought in the Messiah himself to bring the point home - Jesus Christ.

It was a miracle Hannah was rescued. It's a miracle we are, too.





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