WHEN THE RESCUE IS DELAYED—BUT THE RESCUER NEVER IS

Day 1 - Travel Day 

We thank the Lord for His traveling mercies. Our journey began smoothly, though not without urgency. A weather delay shortened our connection window in Munich to just thirty minutes. We rushed between terminals and arrived at our gate just as document checks were finishing. Boarding had not yet begun. Once again, the Lord had gone before us.

But moments later, I heard a sound I never hoped never to hear again—agonal breathing. Then a shout: “Emergency! Emergency!”

An older Indian gentleman had collapsed. He was unresponsive, turning blue, and had no pulse. A fellow passenger and I moved quickly to begin CPR, but airport staff resisted our efforts. Chairs were offered instead of a floor. CPR was stopped because they misunderstood the movement chest compressions produce. Time stretched into agonizing minutes.

Finally, airport rescue arrived and took over. They worked on him for a long while before loading him into an ambulance. I do not know the outcome. But I know how helpless it feels to watch someone dying while obstacles stand in the way of rescue.

Afterward, I walked back to our group. Right there in the Munich airport, we took a moment to pray—for this man, and for his family who might have been waiting in Delhi for him, as he was traveling alone. We prayed that even as he laid on the cold hard floor, that if he was not a believer, that he would have an encounter with our Jesus. We entrusted him to the Lord’s mercy and care.

Later, my thoughts turned spiritual.

I thought of the untouchables. I thought of those who desperately need salvation while barriers—social, cultural, religious, or political—stand between them and the gospel. Rescue is right there. Yet too often, someone tries to block the way.

Scripture shows us this is not new.

In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to proclaim the Word. The governor, Sergius Paulus wanted to hear the message of salvation. But Elymas the magician opposed them, trying to turn him away from the faith. Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronted him boldly:

“You son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness… will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”

Immediately God dealt with Elymas, who was temporarily blinded. Maybe Saul hoped that he would encounter God in this blindness the same way he did. The governor believed and was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

I love how Saul takes care of business. He is a warrior for the faith and does not shrink back.

Paul understood that when eternal rescue is at stake, the gospel must go forward unhindered. God rescues and redeems His people through the saving work of Christ.

That day in the airport reminded me:
Physical rescue is urgent.
Spiritual rescue is eternal.

We may face resistance. We may feel blocked. But the Rescuer—Jesus, the Son of Man—has already made a way. Our calling is to stand firm, speak truth, and trust the Holy Spirit to clear the path.

We are now safely in Delhi, and over the next couple of days we will be ministering in the drug rehabilitation centers here. Please keep these men and women—and our team—in your prayers as we share the hope of the true Rescuer.

Even when rescue feels delayed, the Rescuer never is.

~JoieMy First paragraph with bold text.