A DRAMATIC RESCUE REMINDS US WE ALL NEED A SAVIOR

A Rescue Story in Louisville: A Real-World Parable

This past Friday afternoon, a bizarre accident occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, that seemed straight out of an action movie. A three-vehicle crash unfolded on the Second Street Bridge, which spans the Ohio River from Louisville to New Albany, Indiana. The chaotic collision resulted in a semi-truck wildly careening over the three-foot guardrail, seemingly destined to plunge into the icy water seventy feet below.

Yet miraculously, the truck’s trailer became wedged between two beams of the bridge, bringing the vehicle to a grinding halt at the last second. Somehow the cab remained attached and dangled precariously over the Ohio River, with the driver trapped inside. The thirteen-year veteran driver, a woman, was not seriously injured and was held fast by her seatbelt while staring directly into the murky Ohio River.

She was powerless to save herself. Any attempt to climb to safety might have sent the cab plummeting into the river. She was absolutely helpless on her own. All she could do was hold on and hope for a rescuer.

Louisville firefighters rushed to the scene and arrived within minutes. Although they had never faced this exact challenge, they had trained for such scenarios and took swift action. Bryce Carden, a six-year firefighter, rappelled down by a cable to the helpless woman inside the cab, finding her “super calm and collected.” Methodically, he secured a harness around her waist and gently pulled her to safety. She had a terrifying brush with death and endured 45 minutes of absolute terror, yet survived.

We All Need a Rescuer

What a vivid illustration of our spiritual state in this fallen world. For ever since Adam and Eve crashed in their sin in the Garden of Eden, the Bible warns that all of us “…have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Without God, we are without hope, and the penalty for our sin is death (see Ephesians 2:12 and Romans 6:23). Indeed, we are dreadfully lost, destined for hell, with no possible way of escape. We are all in desperate need of a Savior.

I am confident the trapped trucker did not hesitate to accept the firefighter’s assistance. I doubt she asked him, “Is there another way? Maybe I can climb out on my own.” No! She was so grateful someone came to her rescue that she seized the opportunity and cooperated fully, sensing it was her only hope.

Jesus came into the world to seek and save those who were lost. He did not just risk His life; He sacrificed it on the cross to pay the ransom for our transgressions. Only Jesus willingly died an atoning death in which “God laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Only Jesus conquered the grave, proving that through His power, we could too. Only Jesus could legitimately say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Only Jesus offers to rescue us from sin and certain death in hell.

How foolish it is to ask, “Isn’t there some other way? Can’t I earn my way to heaven and get there on my own? Can’t I follow another spiritual leader and live forever?” No. The Scripture is unequivocal: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Trust Your Savior

If you are still living in your sin and imagining you can save yourself by being a good person, be wise enough to put your trust in Jesus today. The Bible challenges us with this reality: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Life is so uncertain. A sudden stroke, an unpredicted blood clot, a fatal accident could take any of us in a second. David admitted, “There is but a step between me and death” (1 Samuel 20:3).

Humbly respond to Jesus in faith today. Cooperate with His gracious offer of salvation. The Scriptural response is as simple as ABCD:

A – Admit you are a sinner and in need of salvation. God never saves the boastful. He gives grace to the humble. Swallow your pride and acknowledge, “I am a sinful person. I am unholy and unworthy of heaven.”

B – Believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Biblical belief is not just mental assent. It is trusting in Jesus as God’s only Son and our Savior. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

C – Confess your faith publicly. Jesus died publicly on full display for you. He promises, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 ESV)

D – Demonstrate your faith by repenting of your sin and being baptized into Christ. When Peter preached the first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost in 30 A.D., the Bible says, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ …Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:37-38 & 41).

After he rescued the trucker, a television reporter asked Firefighter Carden, “What did she say to you when you got to her?” Bryce Carden answered, “As soon as she saw me, she blurted out, ‘Thank God!’ Then she said she was praying… and I prayed with her.”

“How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3).

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).