Clinging to Life

In our natural viewpoint, we become quite tied to the physical - what we can see or hear.  But, from a spiritual viewpoint, we can participate in a realm beyond what we can see or hear, or even
comprehend. In 1st Corinthians 2, we find these verses:
9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

There is more to our existence than merely our physical senses; and God promises us, as we read here, that His Spirit will show us more about Himself.  We cannot understand the ways of God, for they are higher than our own.  But, we can recognize the fallibility of our own human understanding and reach out in faith, trust Him to work in a way that we cannot understand, that is far greater than our physical limitations.

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So often we want to live according to our physical senses, including what we can see, or by our emotions, that can tell us how to respond.  Hebrews 11 underscores the faith component, which
connects with the supernatural realm. We can read:
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

He just disappeared. Apparently, a 22-month-old child went missing from his Kentucky home and was found almost three days later. Fox News reported:

The toddler was reported missing on Sunday night around 7:30. The family spent time looking for him before calling police less than an hour later.

Family members said they weren’t sure how the child disappeared, but some believe he may have walked out the back door of their home, WYMT reported.

Search and rescue leaders told the station they used all their resources, including helicopters, drones with thermal cameras and several K-9 teams with bloodhounds to comb the wooded area near the home for about 67 hours until they found the toddler.

A ChristianHeadlines.com story related:

Rescue teams were astonished when they found Kenneth Howard perched on a 50-foot rock ledge just 2,000 feet away from his Kentucky home. He was unharmed and in “remarkably good condition,” according to those who discovered the youngster.

A report from WYMT indicated that search teams were alerted to Kenneth’s location after hearing the cries of a young child. But it wasn’t just this that the group believe led them to the stricken youngster – they also believe that there was a divine hand guiding them to his location.

“It was a team effort, and God led us in the hands and to move that way,” said Carter Conley of Magoffin Search and Rescue. “I told the father that it’s a proud day.”

A firefighter, Michael Tussey, is quoted as saying; “The man up above is the reason that boy is here,” adding, “There’s no doubt.”

Kenneth's aunt, Vicki Howard, said, “It’s been difficult, but I never did give up because I have faith,” adding, "I know God is with us because we wouldn’t have found him. I've never been one to believe in miracles but once you witness one, you'll never go back to not believing.”

A good takeaway from this story is that things are not always as they seem.  Young Kenneth had disappeared, but family members reached into that unseen realm, the realm of faith, and trusted God for His return.  When we face circumstances that we feel are desperate, we can walk confidently in faith.  Notice that the first responders conducted a search; due diligence was exercised, as it should be.   But, while we take those human steps, we can continue to recognize God's power.

Also, keep in mind that we should be careful to give glory to God when we see Him at work.  Our stories of His faithfulness can present a strong picture to the world about His love for us.  Our personal relationship with Christ is made fresh and vibrant as we honor Him and worship Him.