An interesting thing happened yesterday.  We got word that two young men had fled their car on foot with a backpack after a routine traffic stop, and that they were in our area, possibly armed.  I immediately pulled my Dad’s .380 from the safe and put it in my pocket. We made sure everything was locked up, and then about an hour later police cars and a trailer carrying a Ranger pulled up our drive.  They briefed me and said at least one of the two men had gone onto our property and crossed the creek next to our house, so they were wondering if they could access the land to look for them.  I said sure, and pointed to where they could have gone, after which the chief said, “Why don’t you just drive the Ranger and take us there?”  I agreed, and we quickly took off through the pasture in their Ranger.  I dropped off the chief adjacent to the creek where I thought they might have gone and then proceeded to the “back 40” with the other young man. The plan was for me to follow the creek back to him, looking for signs as we went. I eventually met him, and neither of us saw any clues, so he crossed to the other side as we walked parallel, working – and I do mean working – our way back to the main road. We searched all along the creek, and finally I found a shoe print where one of them had crossed, climbed up a steep embankment, and probably hopped the fence into the pasture, about 100 yards behind our house.  After that the “trail went cold” as they say, and either they were hiding really well, or by the time we got there they were long gone. Apparently, they were in good shape or were just really scared of getting caught.  What in the world was in that backpack? After making our way back to the main road, the officers decided to push on to another location to the west in their vehicles. When they left, I decided to cover the whole pasture and the traversable parts of the creek (this time with my Glock), but to no avail.  To my knowledge, they are still at large.

Later I got to thinking about the events of the day. When you seek God’s will and are doing your best to follow Jesus, nothing, I repeat, nothing happens by accident. How easy it is for us to discount events, or to just exist in the moment with no thought of how God might be working, when in fact, He is working ALL THE TIME! I reflected and scrutinized my behavior: “Did I mention Jesus to the officers?”; “Could they see Jesus through my actions and words?”; “They may have seen a former Marine, but did they see Jesus?” Then my thoughts turned to the young men on the run. These guys, probably drug dealers, were running from something, or someone, other than just the police. Perhaps they thought they were running to a thing that would make their lives better, like money. But in reality, they were running from Jesus. What was God doing in all of this? What did He want me to do in light of this anomalous event? Then I remembered a couple of verses from God’s Word: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14); and “…whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). Through Jesus we have direct access to the Father, and although our earthly view is limited like watching a parade on the street, God sees it as if from a skyscraper, knowing the beginning and the end. The sovereign Lord of the universe can invade time and space to do, as it were, the impossible.

So, instead of beating myself up about what I did or did not do, I decided to assault the gates of hell in prayer. I prayed for the young men on the run, that they would stop running – literally and figuratively – and that whatever path they were on would lead them to Jesus. It might take prison time, or even a brush with death to get them to that point. But whatever it takes, I prayed the Lord would intercede on their behalf. For whomever this Nike Air Force spore belongs to, I pray God will do whatever is necessary to bring him to repentance. Yes, I pray for their capture, but only so their chains of sin might be broken, and they would be forever captured by the freeing love of Jesus Christ. I prayed they would go on to be a living testimony of His redemptive power, leading others to the cross.  I also prayed for the police officers, that they would be protected and safe as they serve, that they too would find Jesus and follow Him if they had not already. I prayed that our acquaintance, however brief, would ultimately lead to friendship and a journey of discipleship.

What’s more powerful than one person praying? More than one. So, I humbly ask if you are reading this, that you would stop and agree with me in prayer for these young men, and for the officers. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”