Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the daily challenges.  This week’s topic is part of our series called God Is… where we’re trying to learn about God’s character and nature through some key stories in the Bible.

Our daily challenges are meant to help you explore what it means to follow Jesus, even if you don’t have a lot of time. We have a rhythm that keeps us in sync, even if we’re not a community that meets together in person regularly. Every Monday we introduce the week’s idea. Every Tuesday we study it in the Bible. Every Wednesday we see how that challenges and transforms our thinking on the topic. Thursdays we try to apply and live it out. Friday is a day for prayer and reflection before we take a rest on Saturday, and Sundays we meet together with others in community.

I just met with a RTC user who spent a month and a half in Africa.  He arrived with a team who only spent a week, but after they left, he found himself alone with just a handful of permanent staff.  A few days later, those staff all left on trips, leaving him and one other newcomer alone in an unfamiliar country, with no electricity, transportation or even knowledge of the language. He arrived at night, and had no idea of his surroundings.

As I listened to his stories, what struck me was the helplessness he experienced.  Most Canadians are used to having a fair bit of control over our circumstances.  I know the loss of control would bother me, most, too.  If something went wrong, he was lost in a foreign country.  Having arrived at night he didn’t even know his way to the nearest town, much less home.  If he simply decided he was done – he had no way to get to the airport, change his tickets, or otherwise choose his destiny.

This is unusual for many Canadians, but not all.   It’s especially familiar to those who live in poverty, or even slavery, every day of their lives, in Canada or elsewhere.

What my friend noticed most about those he met, however, wasn’t their helplessness or fear.  It was their joy and generosity.  Many of them described their trust in God as the reason for their confidence.  They knew that God was in control of all their lives, and would guide them according to his plan.  They live in hopeless situations, and yet they have hope.

Can you imagine such faith, that God would guide or even save you no matter what?  This week we’ll study a story from the Bible where God did intervene in a hopeless situation, regardless of whether the people had hope or not.  He simply saved those who needed saving for his plan.

Question: When have you been helpless, and needed saving?