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Listen while you read: "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go"1
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While we were at church on Sunday morning, August 31, 1986, a Piper Cherokee nearby collided with the stabilizers of Aeroméxico Flight 498. The small private plane crashed in an empty school playground in Cerritos, California, USA; all three passengers died. The Aeroméxico flight slammed into a residential neighbourhood on nearby Carmenita Road and exploded on impact, obliterating five houses and damaging seven more. All 64 passengers and crew died, as well as 15 people on the ground. Aerial photos show a huge blackened path through the residential area.
Two hours earlier, we had driven to church right through that area, expecting to return the same way. Those on the two planes probably boarded without thought of a crash. Those on the ground didn't expect an airplane to land on top of them. One of the mothers had gone to the store for groceries; she returned home to find it destroyed, along with her husband and two sons. There was a party at one of the other houses; all lost their lives.
Most mornings, we wake up expecting a normal day. I doubt that we will experience something this dramatic, but "crashes" will come unexpectedly: medical, emotional, physical, or terminal.
I don't know the spiritual condition of those who perished, but since those on the ground were not at church on a Sunday morning, it's likely that some were not spiritually prepared for sudden death. I don't know the spiritual condition of many who will read this devotional, but I know that it's not too late to be prepared for such a "crash".
First, we must be sure that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NLT)
Crashes will come, but we are assured that "when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:2-4 NLT)
Then we can take Paul's advice: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
Do we live our lives with the future in mind? What do we need to change today to make sure that we'll survive those inevitable times when life crashes around us? Are we prepared both for sudden "crashes" in our lives and for our eternal future?
Prayer: Lord, we want to be prepared, both for life's emergencies and for our future in eternity. Help us to trust in You and in Your hand on our lives. Amen.
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About the author:
Sharon Cook <craftercook@gmail.com>
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
Send your feedback to the author
Thank-you Sharon.
Thanks for the good word, Sharon.
Thank you for your devotional today.
AMEN.
Thanks for your writing.
Thank you for writing Sharon. You really make me think. Another great devotional as usual.
Love your devotion this morning! Thank you!
Blessings
(Ont., Canada)
Dear Sharon:
Many thanks for your powerful devotional today.
It came at the right moment for me.
May God bless you abundantly.
In Christ.
Hello,
Thank you for this wonderful, encouraging and much needed message.
Have a terrific weekend!
Thanks,
(ON, Canada)
Thanks, Sharon, for another of your special and very thoughtful devotionals. Yes, we sure never know what to expect from moment to moment and definitely need to prepare our hearts and minds on our loving Lord. He is ever available and ready to receive us when we pledge to follow Him. Blessings for these writings you prepare.
Good morning, Sharon,
This is such a lovely devotional. Thank you for sharing this story with us today. I have faced all kinds of crashes in my life, but God is always right there to help me through them all.
Blessings!
Wow! That’s intense! I pray, have been tested a LOT in the last several years. And my faith has risen to the challenges so yes, I have joy. But so many of our church family have not had their faith tested and I see an unpreparedness and weakness in the face of difficulty: fear, worry, distress. My sister (non-believer) once asked me how I could be so calm in my trials. I knew enough not to go into a long discourse. I responded: Faith. Bless the Lord for His faithfulness! Thank you for writing.
Hi Sharon,
I am still processing the terrible crash that culminated in this statement by Autumn Nelon Streetman, “Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents. We appreciate your continued prayers and love as we navigate the coming days.”
To observe and experience the home going service as the raw emotion was tempered by the finest demonstration of true and sincere faith in a loving God came through loud and clear that I have seen in a long time.
Thank you for your devotional this morning, which I was not expecting but is a stark reminder of being prepared for the next moment in time. Your closing prayer was very appropriate.
God bless.
Don’t live in fear, live with Hope and Peace with Jesus.
Great reminder of the frailty of man. Yet we some give little thought to eternity.