Before the last of the Wild Boars soccer team members and their coach reemerged into daylight and fresh air, work was already underway to produce a movie dramatizing their adventure. The number of planned movies has reportedly increased to at least six in the days following the heroic rescue. Leave it to movie and book writers to make the most of riveting situations like that one. It is the kind of story that has strong parallels to the human condition in general.
The boys and their coach were in a situation none of them were equipped to handle. As we all know, they would have all died in that cave if someone had not gone in to rescue them. In fact, they needed someone to do far more than simply give them a map or show them the way out. They lacked sufficient strength, the necessary skills, and equipment essential to make it to safety even with someone leading them along.
There is one more necessary element – trust. If those in the cave were going to live, they had to trust their rescuers with their lives. Anything less would almost certainly have ended in death. Every man, woman, boy and girl we will encounter start out in exactly that same circumstance. In the darkness of sin, cut off from life, not having the ability to deliver themselves from their situation. Their only hope is for someone with the necessary resources to rescue them and give them hope.
For the boys in the cave, it required only a few hours to bring each one to safety. For the believer in Christ, it is a lifelong journey. Every inch of the way our rescuer, the Lord Jesus by his Spirit, is with us. He leads us along, guiding and upholding and strengthening at all times, even during those times when we cannot see the way. In his great wisdom, God provides us with everything we need to safely reach our destination.
The account of the rescue from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system is an uplifting and inspiring one. It is also one with great spiritual parallels that can be a good springboard for conversations with others. And… since there will likely be a movie or two about it… we will surely have opportunities for that kind of discussion with those who need to hear the Gospel.
Reformanda 