There’s this story about a man who often went mountain-climbing. He was an experienced mountain-climber and enjoyed discovering all the different routes.

One day, on a new route, he stopped for lunch. He opened his packed lunch and thanked God for the privilege to eat in such a beautiful place.

The climber got so caught up in the beautiful scenery that he lost track of time, not realising that the sun was starting to set and a cold front was approaching. He was caught in the mist. Eventually, he became so disorientated that he no longer knew where he was and how to get off the mountain.

He believed that God would help him get off the mountain and kept going in the darkness, even though he hardly knew whether he was going up or down.

And then, as he was stretching to climb up a cliff, he lost his grip and started falling. His whole life sped past his eyes. All the highlights, but also the lows. The faces of his loved ones flitted through his mind.

Suddenly he realised the end was near. No human being would be able to survive such a fall …

Suddenly something caught him and a terrible pain shot through his hip. He swung to and fro. He had forgotten about the rope tied around his middle. Overjoyed, he praised the Lord who had saved him.

As he was hanging there, he realised that he would not survive long in the cold and mist, and cried out: “O, God! Help me!”

A deep voice came from the darkness: “What do you want me to do?”

“Please save me!” the man called out.

God: “Do you trust me?”

Man: “Yes!”

God: “Will you do exactly what I tell you to do?”

Man: “For sure!”

God: “Trust Me and cut the rope.”

The rope was the only thing preventing the mountain-climber from falling. The man started crying and gripped the rope even tighter.

The next day the search party found the climber’s lifeless body, his frozen hands gripping the rope, a metre from the ground.

May this verse be true of us, however: ³⁹But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.

Scripture
Hebrews 10:32-39

Reflection
Do you trust God?
Do you really trust God?
Do you really trust God with everything in you?

Prayer
Father, I confess that sometimes I too don’t want to cut the rope. Please help me not to hold onto earthly rescue, but to trust in Your salvation only. In Jesus’ Name, amen.