Captain Scott O’Grady – a name you might hear and forget but whose story is unforgettable. Captain O’Grady is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. He was shot down during the Bosnian War on June 2, 1995, but was able to eject safely and hide for a week in rough woods before being rescued.
The facts of this true story are incredible. The Bosnian Serb Army hunted relentlessly for the downed captain. He had to stay in hiding by day and move only at night, surviving by eating grass and insects and storing rainwater in a sponge kept in a plastic bag. Eventually he was able to radio his position to the Air Force, hoping that they would receive the transmission and he would be rescued.
But he was in hiding for a week - a week that must have seemed like an eternity to the captain. “Am I going to be rescued? Do they even hear my signals for help? Have they forgotten me?” he must have wondered.
But here’s what Captain O’Grady didn’t know and couldn’t see. He was not forgotten. Help was on the way.
His rescuers included 51 Marines, two helicopters along with two Marine helicopter gunships, and two Marine jump jets. There were also six aircraft along with identical replacement crews, two Navy warfare planes, two Air Force warfare planes, two Marine Hornets, two anti-tank Air Force Warthogs and a NATO radar plane – all intent on rescuing Captain Scott O’Grady!
And rescue they did. The Marines were only on the ground seven minutes – long enough to rescue the captain and take him to safety. Only later did he discover the extensive team who rescued him. Captain O’Grady was not forgotten.
My friends, we are not forgotten either. Read today’s Key Scripture from Isaiah 49:15. God’s promise to Israel many years ago is also a promise to us today. Just as a mother could never forget her child, God will not forget us. And He reminds us that even if she DOES forget, He will not!
I don’t know what you may be facing in your life today. A child has left home and has not looked back. The diagnosis is cancer. The refrigerator has quit and there is no extra money to replace it. We may begin to question if God hears us when we cry out to Him and whether we have been forgotten in this world.
I encourage you to hold tight to His words of truth in the Bible. Don’t give up! Our hope and trust are in God alone.
Our physical eyes may not be able to see what is going on around us. But rest assured that – just like Captain O’Grady – we are not forgotten! Help is on the way!
My Prayer for Today:
Father, you warned us there would be pain and heartache in this world. But I praise you for never forgetting us and for answering when we call. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Reflection:
Have you ever felt like you were alone and God had forgotten you?
Application:
During your prayer time, read Psalm 18 every day for a week. Write down specific actions that God does for you, His child.
Praise Him for how He is going to sustain you and deliver you when you call on His name. Thank Him for never forgetting you, His child.
Power Verses:
Isaiah 49:15 (NIV) “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”
I Samuel 12:22 (NIV) “For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”
Psalm 18:6 (NIV) “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing and information about her books, check out her website.)
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