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Life is full of close calls.
On February 9, 1709, a couple named Samuel and Susanna tucked their children into bed in their modest cottage in Epworth, England.
Samuel was an Anglican priest known for his energetic preaching. Susannah, who had brought 19 children into the world (nine of whom lived beyond infancy), was the original homeschooling mom. Every child, from an early age, was expected to learn Latin and Greek and memorize generous portions of Scripture.
The family was poor. There weren’t many furnishings in the house. Four years earlier, Samuel had spent time in a debtors’ prison.
Somehow, about 11:00 pm that winter night, the roof caught fire. Sparks falling from the ceiling awoke one of the older girls. Her screams roused her parents, who managed to shepherd all the children outside.
Except for one.
A five-year-old boy – child #15 in the birth order – appeared at a second-floor window. The stairs were aflame and the roof was nearing collapse. His only escape was to jump.
A man who lived next door hopped upon the shoulders of another man. He extended his arms and caught the child just as the roof crashed into the rest of the house.
Years later, that five-year-old would tell rapt audiences that he considered himself “a brand plucked out of the fire.” Few doubted that John Wesley – the founder of the Methodist Church and the one through whom perhaps more people have come to faith in Christ than through any other evangelist – had been spared for an extraordinary future.
Think about the myriad close calls that have been part of your life – including the ones you know absolutely nothing about.
Do they mean something? Are they just lucky breaks or providential interventions? How can we possibly know?
God knows. The biblical doctrine of providence comes from the Latin words pro (“before”) and video (“to see”). God sees everything in advance.
In fact, God simultaneously sees all of reality – past, present and future – and the totality of life’s complex interconnections.
What Scripture tells us is that there are no trivial happenings. Author and theologian Francis Schaeffer was fond of saying there are no little places and no little people. God is fully attentive at every moment. And this moment – this very one – matters for eternity.
Sports stars routinely assure reporters, “Right now we control our own destiny.” We do nothing of the kind. The truth is that we control almost nothing.
One of the great questions of our time is where ultimate security can be found. Is it available through a great job, an adorable spouse, wise investments, a foolproof burglar alarm, or strategies to counteract terrorism?
Psalm 34:7 reminds us: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
You are alive right now because God has preserved you through every close call. The best advice we could possibly heed with regard to finding security is, “Take hold of God with all of your heart, and never let go – confident that he will never let go of you.”
Oh, and one more thing:
Be sure to change the batteries in your smoke alarms every six months.