Mike, 15, and A.J., 13, were caught in a mountain blizzard. They had been skiing on Schweitzer Mountain in North Idaho when the wind picked up gusting up to 70 miles an hour. The temperature dropped to 20 F but the wind made it feel much colder.They missed snowed-in trail signs, became lost and– realizing their fate–built a snow shelter for protection using pine tree branches for a carpet. They clutched onto each other for the will and heat to get through the night, praying for strength to survive.
Volunteer searchers found the cold, wet boys trudging in waist-deep snow, three miles from the lodge; they were tired, hungry, and disoriented, but unharmed more than 26 hours after they were reported missing. Their father, Dr. Kolla, responded, “From our prayers, we know we have an awesome Creator who obviously has more in store for the lives of these boys.”
We may not be in a blizzard, but there are those who have become disoriented in relationships, personal problems, or addiction. In the blizzard of life, they lose perspective, wish to escape, and see no reason to exist. Mike and A.J. needed each other to maintain the will or resolve to live. Hypothermia and the irresistible urge for sleep could have resulted in them never waking up.
As we encounter our night, we are beckoned to succumb to our weaknesses and demand that we escape and follow that flickering candle of false hope. Yet, that candle quickly extinguishes in the next wind gust. In the course of time, the light of dawn reveals the flimsy shelter we have made. When hypertension takes place, escaping life’s problems is futile. Turning to God in prayer, like Dr. Kolla, enables us to see that God does have a plan for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says it aptly, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and I will listen to you if you seek me with your whole heart.”
~ George Prins.
