Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2
In 2008, a Freed Hardeman mission trip turned tragic when a 19-year-old student, Shane Ruiz, drowned on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Having completed their last day of mission work with the children’s home in Bobita, the group decided to go see the ocean and have a relaxing afternoon at the beach. About 4 P.M. a large wave crashed into three students as they walked in water no more than knee deep. Ruiz was swept out by the undertow, and several members of the team along with local beach goers spent the next three hours attempting to rescue him. Sadly, they were not able to reach him.
This tragic incident highlights a sobering reality that we all need to keep before us. Much of life on this earth is beyond our control, and many good things we would like to do are beyond our reach. Many would be rescuers gave their best efforts to save a young man’s life, but it was beyond their reach, beyond their abilities. In the realm of the spiritual peril that every human being brings upon his or herself when we choose to sin (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23; 5:12; 6:23), no mortal being can save us from our lost condition.
Thankfully, as Isaiah put it, the Lord’s hand is not shortened so that it cannot reach us (Isaiah 59:1). Our sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and leaves us dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:1ff), “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) … (Ephesians 2:4-5). Though we drove a wedge between ourselves and God, and though we have no means of reconciling ourselves to God on our own, He saw fit to reconcile us to Himself in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Not only is He willing to deliver us, but He is able to do so (Isaiah 59:1; Hebrews 7:23-25).
These truths are the anchor for our souls in a world which, much like what so sadly happened to the Ruiz family in 2008, can become tumultuous in an instant. As the young man was overtaken by a sudden wave of the sea, so our lives can be turned upside down and swept out to sea with the same swiftness. Thank the Lord above that He is able and willing to deliver us into eternal peace through the sacrifice of His Son. The proper response for all of us then is to consider all that He has said about the things necessary to receive these blessings and properly respond in faith.
As Jesus so plainly stated about those who hear the good news of the redemption He secured with His own blood (Ephesians 1:7), “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16). At this point, we are expected to conduct ourselves in a new manner of life (Romans 6:3-4) knowing He has made us into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:14, 17). Have you latched on to the hand that is not shortened and secured your rescue from eternal danger? If not, why not?