Chilean miners say 'Thank you, Lord'

As a member of a local Salvation Army Advisory Board, I look forward to receiving "New Frontier," a tabloid publication of the international Christian organization. The most recent issue contained "revelations" regarding the story of 33 Chilean men trapped in a mine for 69 days. The following excerpt is from Salvation Army Lt. Col. Mervyn Morelock's column titled "prayerPower."

"While the mainstream media reported the facts of the rescue (a grueling, 22-hour process), here are some things you may not have heard. Each miner came up alone in the rescue capsule. Most (perhaps all) were wearing special yellow T-shirts, created for them by the Chilean branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. Emblazoned boldly across the front of the T-shirts were the words, in Spanish, 'Thank you, Lord.' The miners, in fact, had requested these words. The shirts were made and delivered to them while they waited for rescue."

"Written on the back of the shirts was the Scripture verse: 'porque en su mano estan.' It was Psalm 95:4: 'In His hands are the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains are His also.' The Rev. Aldredo Cooper, chaplain to the President of Chile, said of the rescued miners: 'They are all waiting to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ. All 33 of them are saying they found God in the mine. Five or six were already Christians and held services down in the mine. Many went down with no faith at all, but they will say this: 'We were not 33; we were 34 because Jesus Christ was with us down there'."

I am reminded of the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego ... thrown into a furnace so hot that guards died in the process of pushing them inside. Once inside, the three young men were seen with a fourth man. Ultimately, they emerged unscathed. Their companion during this trial: Jesus Christ, the Redeemer King who will not leave us or forsake us.

I give thanks today for God's grace, as evidenced in the rescue of every miner in this critical situation. I trust that each man will be true to his pledge to testify to the saving power of Jesus Christ. I pray that their testimonies ... like the story of their rescue, will be heard around the world, to the glory of God.