It was a cold Friday afternoon in January. John Hughes and his nephew Chris both worked in construction and had spent the morning remodeling a home in Los Padres Estates, California. By early afternoon, needing to run a quick errand, they left in their Ford Ranger. They just happened to be carrying a tow chain because they had helped a neighbor that morning who was stuck in the snow. Little did they imagine the part that tow chain was to play in the saving of a trapped truck driver’s life!
About 1:10 p.m. in the afternoon, they noticed a big rig that was carrying heavy, 20-foot-long steel pipes, stacked four tiers high on a long flatbed. They also noticed that its brakes were smoking. It was travelling about 35-40 miles per hour in the far right “slow truck lane.” Chris, who was driving their Ranger, passed the big rig at about 65 miles an hour.
When he passed, he noticed an off-ramp for runaway trucks. These are escape ramps in hilly country that allow trucks and buses to stop that are having breaking problems. They are usually a long, sand or gravel-filled up-hill lane and are usually connected to a steep, downhill grade. Chris thought, “That’s where I would go if I were driving that rig!” But the big rig didn’t use it. As the big rig began to catch up to Chris, he saw that there was a car in the way to the escape ramp along with other traffic.
Afterwards, when speaking to reporters from a newspaper, the Hughes’ faces still showed the horror that they had felt. As the big rig flew by them, going 100 miles per hour by now, they looked down at the half-mile steep hill, known as the Grapevine, below them. They could see about 60 cars all bunched up at the bottom. They felt that they were going to witness a terrible disaster!
But the truck driver saw the cars at the bottom of the Grapevine too. He made an instant decision that saved many lives that day. He shot into the right lane—then disappeared. All that the Hugheses could see was a cloud of dust and metal pipes flying, along with a lot of metal debris.
The truck driver had crashed into the back of another big rig, instantly bursting into flames. When the Hugheses drove up to the crash site, John jumped out to see if he could help, while Chris pulled over. Then he ran over to John with a pocket knife to cut the top of the driver’s seat belt. Then they tried to pull the cab door open. But it wouldn’t budge! They tried pry bars, with another man joining them in the effort. Still, it would not budge. By this time, the smoke had turned from white to black. The driver, Philip Frear, kept saying, “Can you guys hurry—I’m burning!” Time was running out for the truck driver – they needed to come up with a way to open the cab door fast!
The truck driver was trapped and could not save himself. He needed to be rescued from his burning cab or else he would burn to death! Boys and girls, we need rescuing too. We are all sunk deep in sin, totally unable to please God or to save ourselves. Because of this, we are not fit for God’s presence and are headed for a lost eternity without God, to perish forever in the lake of fire. But God loves us so much, He had the perfect plan to rescue us from the penalty that our sins deserve. He sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, to bleed and die on Calvary’s cross for our sins. Then He rose from the grave and is now in heaven waiting and willing to receive anyone who calls on Him to be saved from their sins. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath 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)).
Suddenly John remembered the tow chain. Running back to his truck, he grabbed the tow chain and wrapped it around the frame of the Ranger. Then he backed the Ranger up to the cab and told Chris and the other man to wrap the chain around the top of the cab door. Then John slammed the Ranger into 4-wheel drive and pressed the gas pedal to the floor, jerking the Ranger forward. It worked! The cab door was torn off its hinges, allowing John to cut the lower safety belt, freeing Mr. Frear, who tumbled into John’s arms. He was saved just in the nick of time, because Mr. Frear’s legs were on fire!
The Hugheses stayed with Mr. Frear until firefighters and medical help arrived. They were also able to help the driver of the big rig that had been rear-ended to get out of his cab. Both John and Chris marveled at the “coincidence” that they happened to be carrying a tow chain that day. Without it, they would not have been able to save Mr. Frear’s life.
But God, in His mercy and kindness, sent the Hugheses at the right time and with the right equipment to save Mr. Frear’s life. And in His mercy and kindness, He is allowing boys, girls, men and women to put their trust in Him for their salvation today. The truck driver’s life was saved, but when you put your trust in the Lord Jesus, He will save your never-dying soul forever! Only then can you be certain of spending eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus. God’s Word tells us, “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)). Do not wait for a better time – it may never come. Anyone can die in an instant or in an unexpected way, as this story proves. Or, the Lord Jesus may come for His own, taking those who have put their trust in Him to be with Him in heaven. Then it will be too late for you—the day of salvation will be over!
ML-02/18/2018