Early on Easter morning in the United States the news broke that the Weapons System Officer of the downed F-15 fighter jet had been rescued. The WSO and his pilot were shot down over Iran on Friday, April 3. The pilot was rescued quickly. But an intense search and rescue mission took place over the next two days before the Weapons System Officer was also safely rescued. What a great story of American heroism. I am thankful that we sent other military personnel and aircraft into Iran to rescue this Airforce officer.
We may not know for a long time all the details that went into this search and rescue. But I am so glad there was a search. And you know that he was glad there were people who were searching for him. But America was not the only one in search of him. The enemy, Iranian armed forces were also looking for him in those mountains. How relieved he must have been when he discovered that he had been found because America was in search of him.
If you are a believer and have a sure knowledge of a relationship with God, it is because He searched for you. Romans 3:10-11 says, “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God;’.” The search for disciples is not conducted by the one who is lost. It is done by the only One who can save. And that is God Himself.
From the very beginning God has pursued us. In the Garden after the Fall, it was God who came to look for Adam and Eve, hiding behind their fig leaves. God pursued Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was God who pursued Joseph, Moses, and David. God sent His prophets to pursue the wandering Israelites over centuries of Rebellion. The Christ came to heaven as a baby to pursue mankind. Jesus used the parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son to illustrate God’s pursuit. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day,” (John 6:44).
This is why God can guarantee Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” We will find Him if we seek Him because He is seeking us and drawing us. What a glorious feeling to know that your rescue is coming. You may be able to hear the enemy closing in, and you may even feel the threat of a capture you cannot escape.
But if you are pursuing Christ, it is only because He has been pursuing you. And that salvation is sure in His hands. This is a great hope for all of us. You can run after lost people. And even if they seem uninterested in the things of God, if He begins to draw their hearts, they will indeed become His own. The rescue effort is never wasted, and in God’s hands will be a success.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
