Miracle on the Hudson?
By Mark Seay
www.LighthousePrayerLine.org
There have been numerous commentaries and interviews conducted by the mainstream media(secular society) on whether or not this Hudson River landing was anything short of miraculous. I must say that I'm truly amazed at how doubtful people have reacted towards the possibility of this being a full-fledged intervention(miracle) on the part of a sovereign God. But then again, I realize this shouldn't come as a shock to me. The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great apostasy and even declared that the day of Christ should not come, "...except there come a falling away first".
So it shouldn't really come as all that much of surprise to me considering the apparent fact that many people don't see miracles, because they are simply lacking in faith. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1 KJV). And Ephesians 1:11 tells us that God, “…works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will…” The Bible also teaches us that, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth (He is sovereign, He is supreme)…He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He himself give all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25). “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15).
Some atheists would have you believe otherwise: "Through some series of quirks and odd combinations of features, evolution left the human organism with a set of cognitive flaws that some religious ideas exploit. And supposedly, evolution left us with predispositions towards spiritual/supernatural explanations for phenomena where the natural cause isn’t immediately obvious. And too, it gives us a powerful set of tools for problem solving in many practical circumstances—gathering food, evading threats, finding and building shelter. But the limited scope of those tools makes it very hard for us to ponder very large systems of causes and effects, or think in terms of processes that endure for millions of years. Maybe that feeling that lots of people get when they try to imagine events receding back into history forever is a by-product of this aspect of the way our minds developed. It just seems so wrong, so counter-intuitive to so many people that there could be no first cause. It just doesn’t feel right that the world could be just physical matter with no higher being."
O'kay. There you have it. You've just read brief positions from both sides of this argument, His Word versus 100% scientific rationalization. On which side do you fall? We should seriously consider choosing one or the other! Jesus even said, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" (Revelation 3:15).
That being said, here's my take on the Hudson River miracle (made by a series of questions):
First, what are the odds that a commercial flight could lose both engines, not hit any of the New York buildings, miss the bridge, not flip or break upon crash, but instead be piloted to a relatively smooth landing on the Hudson River?
Secondly, what are the odds that ALL 155 passengers would get out of the plane alive, with no mortal injuries sustained from the impact, and no drowning, buckled into the seat, as the plane filled with water [one section got out of the front quickly, but the front began filling rapidly with water -- the rest got out from the middle of the plane]?
Thirdly, what are the odds that, rather than slipping under the water from hypothermia (remember the scene of drowning and freezing people when a plane goes down in the water & and the hero loses his life swimming out to rescue others?) all of the passengers would be picked up, beginning 15-minutes from the point of the crash landing? ...Or the odds that all the ferries and firemen would hustle onto the crash scene and do their jobs so quickly?
Lastly, what are the odds that an airline pilot with that kind of skill and experience, as well as immense sense of duty and character, would land that plane, walk the aisles twice while the plane filled to check for the remaining passengers, be the last off the plane, and the last off the lifeboat?
Answer: Not very much, friends!
With both engines dead and no power, this pilot quickly realized he was going to have to bring the plane down on the water. Every pilot trains for a "ditching", but very few have ever had to pull one off. And something else that made this event a miraculous day was the fact that the pilot decided on a water landing. There were no obstacles directly in his path, but there were lots of boats nearby to act as first responders. The Hudson River gets an awful lot of traffic. You have maritime traffic; you have helicopters and private planes... This pilot didn’t have time to negotiate a path for himself. Everybody just had to get out of his way.
We have experienced from afar an airline crash on a river where all 155 passengers and the entire crew survive. Wake up, America! We have experienced a miracle!!
Believe me, I’m pumped! I am jacked!! One-hundred and fifty-five people get a chance to start anew, to ponder what God has in store for them, and why on earth He allowed them to survive something so usually deadly & devastating. If we're not all seeing this as a supernatural intervention, maybe we, too, need to start anew by rekindling our relationship with Jesus Christ.
You see, we should even reflect on the sun's rising every morning as a miracle. I thank God for that miracle. When I look at my daughters who each have ten fingers and ten toes, I know that just by looking at them that they are miracles. Miracles are all around us. Are we too blind to see? We discover that throughout the entire Bible, some people saw miracles daily. Others’ hearts were hardened and they could not see the miracles before them. Please don't take this out of context, but our primary focus should not be on the miracles. God wants us to believe in Him beyond the miracles, while also expressing thankfulness(praise) for our many blessings. You see, we should not need a miracle to believe. I have experienced many miracles in my life. The fact that I am alive today is one. Life on its own is a miracle.
So yes, I do believe in miracles but I don’t need a miracle to make me believe in God. And neither should you.
As aforementioned, miracles shouldn’t be the focus in any Christian walk. Doing the will of God is the most important thing. Salvation through Christ is the best miracle ever offered to us. That miracle alone should make anyone believe in the miraculous.
Some people do not see the blessings given to them. Some people chose not to see the miracles. Some people are not permitted to see. We may only see and know that which is revealed to us by God, and God alone. The fact that I can breathe, walk, see and touch is beyond miraculous to me. I am very grateful for many miracles that have occurred in my life. I know that all good things come from God. We should even give thanks for the food that is provided for us to eat. It is a miracle that we can simply sit and eat a healthy meal. To the poor or hungry, the act of eating an apple could be seen as a miracle. You see, man's deficiency sometimes invokes a revelation(blessing) from a loving, all-powerful God. Likewise, much of this world is counter-intuitive to His Kingdom.
So in essence, I really do believe in miracles. I also believe they come in all sizes, shapes and colors, so to speak. It is a fact that we experience miracles daily, but it is how it's decided for us to look at life that counts. There's much in life that can drag you and I down.
And too, there is much that can blot out the miracles in our lives, especially if we're not looking. We should let the lesson of the 5 wise maidens found in Matthew 25:1-13 reinforce our faith & understanding that it is only through God's Truth that we are able to overcome darkness. We have to learn to wake up, and then thank God for waking up. Every day is a new day and it is an opportunity for us to see the miracles in our lives.
Miracle on the Hudson …? Yes, I believe so.
O'kay? So you're almost convinced about God's sovereignty in all things? Need more proof?
Here's a few verses that we should never forget:
1) Amos 3:6 “If a calamity occurs in a city, has not the LORD done it?”
2) Isa. 45:7 “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.”
3) Eccl. 7:14 “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.”
4) Lam. 3:37-38 “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”
5) Jeremiah 9:23 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.”
Thank you for reading this short blog. Please visit
www.LighthousePrayerLine.org . Prayer requests and other Christian articles are posted there several times weekly. Prayer Requests & Praise Reports are posted at the beginning of each week. We could definitely use your prayers over these requests. God bless.
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