Charles sat down dangling his legs out the open door of the airplane. The wind whipped around his face. It was an exciting moment —his first parachute jump. The instructor tapped his shoulder, giving him the signal. Charles leaned forward and pushed himself out the door.
No one knew just why, but Charles’s parachute came out of its pack too quickly. As he somersaulted away from the plane, the chute whipped back catching fast on the tail of the plane.
Charles found himself being towed at more than 50 MPH about 40 feet behind the plane. He jerked desperately at the parachute lines, hoping to jerk loose from the plane. It was no use. He was caught!
Back at the door of the plane, the instructor stared back at the hung-up parachute hardly able to believe what he saw. Charles twisted around so he could see the plane’s door. There was a questioning look on his face. As they looked at each other, the instructor stuck out his fist with his thumb up—“Everything will be all right. We’ll get you loose,” his motion said. Charles answered back with a thumbs-up fist.
The instructor pulled himself back in the door and began to study the problem. There was really no way to reach the hung-up parachute to release it. If he tried to land the plane, Charles would be killed. They needed help from somewhere else—someone to come release the helpless man.
The call went out over the plane’s radio, and everyone waited. Would help arrive before the gasoline supply ran out?
Each one of us is just like Charles before we are saved! We are tangled up and caught in our sins and cannot do a thing about it. Those to whom we might go for help are also helpless. What we need is help from somewhere else—someone to come down and save us. And only the Lord Jesus Christ can do that. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12).
Time went by slowly for Charles while he was being towed behind the plane: 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes passed. Time was running out! The gasoline was running low! If he was going to be saved he needed to be saved soon! And God says to each sinner, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Suddenly Charles heard a roar above him. Looking up he saw a huge, red helicopter dropping down through the mist. The copter hovered along about 50 feet above the slow-flying plane. A man quickly descended on a boom cable right to where Charles was caught. After first making sure that Charles was prepared to use his emergency parachute, the rescuer cut him loose from the plane. Three seconds later the emergency parachute opened beautifully, and he floated down to a perfect first landing.
Charles was released from his terrible position by help from above. And each person who realizes their terrible condition, lost in their sins, can also call for help from above. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15). You can be saved by simply calling to Him in faith. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13). “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God path raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9).
ML-12/20/1981