Whenever we encounter an emergency situation, our first inclination is to call 911 for the person, who might be our spouse, child, parent, family member, friend, or even a stranger.  We know that time is critical in emergencies in order to provide the person the best medical care as soon as possible.

Have we ever thought that when we experience a spiritual emergency, we can send out a “Nine-One-One” call to Jesus, and He will come instantly to help us get through whatever difficulty we are facing.  Remember that Jesus already knows our need at such times, but He cannot act because He gave us free will, and He will not impose Himself to help us unless we request it.  The Nine-One-One call could be a verbal request or a simple thought asking for help.  For our information: Jesus is a 24/7 Nine-One-One operator.

Throughout life, we encounter emergency moments, where a call to Jesus would be beneficial or even absolutely mandatory based upon the situation.   Some of these moments might be: desiring to give into a sinful temptation, getting a feeling of being in physical danger, becoming totally stressed by events in our life, reaching the end of our rope and possibly contemplating suicide because we have lost hope, and having frightful dreams that wake us up in a sweat.  We can say that some moments might lead us into darkness, feeling lost and away from God.  It is at those moments that a call to Jesus could help us move out of darkness into the light.

For many of us, we face times of internal darkness in our life, caused by our own actions or those of others.  When we can’t handle life’s traumas, we might turn to alcohol or drugs or both to deal with the pain and hopelessness.  These choices can drive us into a deep pit of darkness, sometimes feeling alone without any hope for the future and away from God.  But there is hope, and His name is Jesus Christ, who is waiting with open arms to help us climb out of that pit.   Our call to Him could be as simple as “Jesus, help me.”  If we surrender our situation to Him, He will take care of it all in His way.  We have to trust that He will console us, liberate us and guide us toward a new beginning in our life. 

Let me share a true story about an atheist and teacher, named Howard Storm, who had a profound conversion to Christianity.  Prior to his near-death experience, he was an aggressive individual, greatly feared by his wife and children.  In June 1985, he took a group of his students on a field trip to Europe to study art.  After a morning excursion, he returned to his Paris hotel room and experienced severe abdominal pain.  He went to the hospital and was diagnosed as having a perforated duodenal, needing immediate surgery, but there was no surgeon available until late that night.  As he lay waiting for surgery, he believed he was going to die.  He said goodbye to his wife and passed out.  This is when he had an out-of-body experience, and was drawn to people calling his name outside the hospital room, and followed them, believing they were taking him to a doctor.  He describes pale humanoid creatures that urged him down the hallway, saying that they had been waiting for him.  The creatures became extremely hostile when he refused to continue following them as they were leading him into darkness, and began to attack him.  He then heard an inner voice telling him to pray to God, and so he began to quote some bible verses he remembered and the Pledge of Allegiance, which caused the creatures to eventually leave him alone.  A little later he called out for Jesus to save him and suddenly was rescued by spiritual beings of light.  When he awoke, he was being prepped for surgery, and over time healed.  His experience never left him, and eventually he became involved with the church, went to divinity school and became a Christian minister.

How can this happen?  A prompting by the Holy Spirit can often occur, especially if someone has prayed for us, maybe a grandmother in the past.  When we think about all the family and friends that God has placed in our life, we know that there are people who want the best for us, and some may have even prayed for our well-being.  WE ARE NOT LOST AND ALONE, THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE WITH GOD.  MAKE THE CALL!