We were very excited about our planned vacation in England! We were going to take a few train rides, visit some castles, beautiful gardens, a cave and many other amazing places. I had purchased the airplane tickets and many non-refundable reservations for a rental car and hotels.
Finally the day arrived, and we checked everything off our list, loaded our suitcases in the car, and a friend drove us down to the Miami airport. We arrived there three hours early for our flight.
At the airline check-in counter, the lady asked for our passports. I gave her mine, but I could find only a copy of my husband’s passport. She quickly told us that a copy was not good enough—it had to be the actual passport!
Oh, no! I started to panic! After all the planning and reservations we had made, were we going to have to miss this vacation because of a forgotten passport?
Many people in this world think they are ready to go to heaven when they die. They have been kind to others and have been honest and done their best. They think living a good life and helping others is their “passport to heaven.” But in the Bible we read, “There is a way which [seems] right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:1212There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)).
With my heart pounding and hands shaking over this news that we needed the original passport, I called my friend Celia who lived close to us and told her our problem. She and her husband were willing to drive over to our house to find my husband’s passport. There is no better friend than one who helps us when we are in trouble. God says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)). And that’s exactly what we did! The Lord helped me remember where the passport might be in our house. That was step 1.
Celia found it and hurried with her husband, driving south towards the Miami airport. In the meantime, my husband had our driver who drove us to the airport come back and pick him up. Then they drove north to meet Celia and her husband. You see, we had a time problem. If traffic isn’t too bad, it takes two and a half hours to drive from our house to the airport. However, we had only three hours to meet Celia and her husband to get our passport and then for my husband to return to the airport with it.
In order to save some time, the two cars decided to meet at a restaurant they both knew about at the halfway point. They made the connection, and the passport was handed to my husband, with everyone thanking the Lord for working it out this far. That was step 2.
It had seemed impossible to me, but I knew that “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:2727And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)). As I waited at the airport with our suitcases piled beside me, my eyes were glued to the door. I was also nervously watching the time on my cell phone.
Finally, my husband appeared, and we raced toward the check-in counter, waving his passport! The ladies at the counter cheered! Then we dashed for the gate and made it just in the nick of time. That was step 3.
We knew it was a miracle when we were seated in the plane and had both passports in our pockets. We thanked and praised the Lord Jesus for His wonderful help in answering our prayers. We were on our way to England!
There is only one passport to heaven. It’s a person and not a piece of paper. Do you know who that is? . . . The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He came down from heaven, died on the cross and shed His precious blood to cleanse us from our sins. Then God His Father raised Him from the dead, and now He is in heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)).
Be very sure that you are trusting only in Jesus to take you to heaven. He is your passport, and He loves you so much He will never leave you behind!
ML-11/27/2016