In 1988, a massive earthquake
shook Armenia, collapsing hundreds of buildings and trapping thousands of
people in the rubble. Many were rescued from beneath the ruined buildings
during the first few hours of the disaster, but after the first day, hope quickly
faded that any others would be found alive. One man, however, refused to quit.
Why? Because this man was a loving father.
Working feverishly at the ruins of a school where his own son
and dozens of other children had been buried by the earthquake, he removed
bricks and timbers with his bare hands, working all day and all night. Three
days he worked without sleep. Then four days. Then five. People told him to
stop, to give up hope. Finally, six days after the quake, he removed a fallen
section of wallboard and found an air pocket. He called his son’s name—and
several young voices weakly answered, including a voice that said, “Daddy, you
came for me! I thought you had given up!”
We sometimes think that God takes forever to reach us when we
call to Him. Perhaps, at times, it is because our lives are cluttered with so
much rubble and debris that He must remove it before we can see the daylight of
His love. But He is never slow to respond to our needs. When we cry out in
prayer, God answers immediately, instantly, speedily, without delay—and He
never gives up. God, our loving Father, never leaves any of His children bereft
and alone in a time of need.
God’s answer may be the squeeze of His hand on ours, the quiet
comfort of a Father’s voice, the steady reassurance of a Father’s presence even
though the woods around us are dark and echoing with fearsome night sounds. If
we listen, we will hear an immediate answering reassurance that the Father is
with us and—in His own time and way—He will lead us home to a place of light
and warmth, and He will put us safely, comfortably in our beds. This is what
Jesus means when He says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen
ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell
you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly” (luke 18:7–8).
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