01 December 2008 Devotion for Today “A Way Where There is No Way” I Corinthians 10:13

01 December 2008 Devotion for Today “A Way Where There is No Way” I Corinthians 10:13

This morning I was spending some time in the sanctuary at our church just praising the Lord for His goodness and provision in my life, and for how He has blessed me so much over the years- especially in recent weeks. I’ll not take the time in sharing just what He has done, only how He did it. As my eyes came up from prayer I glanced at a sign over the doorway which serves as the rear-entrance to our place of worship. That sign is an EXIT sign. That exit sign has been there for years- if not decades. It is a simple sign placed there to comply with the rules of the fire marshal. It has been there so long it makes me wonder if it is only a monument to the obvious. Everybody knows that there is an entrance leading out that way, why must there be an Exit sign. Of course, the answer to that thought immediately struck me- Because not everybody has been in this building as long as you have- what if it were their first time, would they know that were a way out if there were any trouble? The obvious answer to that question is no.

This is where the next implication of the sign really spoke to my heart. My mind was then drawn to a verse I had known since the time I was a child, where God has promised in His Word in I Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

A firefighter once told the story of being trapped in a burning building while trying to rescue a child. As the black smoke choked and blinded him, he found the child, still breathing, and hoisted him into his arms. However, he became disoriented and cornered by the flames which soon surrounded him. The doorway from which he entered the room was now impassible. The flames licked up through the floorboards, threatening to collapse as did the ceiling above him. There was no way out. Using the depleting oxygen in his mask, he breathed a prayer, “Lord God, you promised to make a way of escape whenever I am in a time of trial. I do not ask for myself, but for this child in my arms. If I don’t make it, at least, God- do it for him!” At that moment, a crash was heard behind the fireman. The wall behind him had collapsed, falling away from him and the boy, revealing a yet un-touched hallway leading to an exterior window above a porch roof. The fireman held on to the child and made his way to the window and knocked it through with his fire ax. To the amazement of everyone outside, as well as to himself, the fireman emerged with the child unscathed from the flames. Within seconds after scampering down from the roof, the window from which he emerged exploded into flame.

When asked to account for this act of heroism, the fireman refused to take credit, only to give glory and praise to God who alone could have provided this exit. He said, “God made me a way where there was no way!”

Perhaps you are going through a fire or a storm yourself. Perhaps you feel cornered by Satan and trapped by the enemy. You may feel overwhelmed and resigned to doom. If you are, please remember the promise that God has made- that He will provide a way of escape. He will open up that secret door that you never knew about. He may yet make a way where there is no way. He is God. He can certainly do it. And when He does it, remember to offer Him the praise for it.

Have a blessed day!