July 1, 1940, marked the grand opening of a new engineering marvel — the Tacoma Narrows Bridge — in the state of Washington. The bridge quickly acquired the nickname “Galloping Gertie” as the bridge roadway heaved up and down whenever moderate breezes blew. Then on November 7, 1940, as winds grew stronger, motorists found the deck of the bridge twisting and heaving for over three hours. The last car to try crossing was driven by a reporter, Leonard Coatsworth, who said, “Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car. ... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb.” At one point, the sidewalk on one side of the bridge was twenty-eight feet higher than the one on the opposite side!
How often we take trips across bridges and never think of whether we can trust those bridges to support us safely. In life, it is most important that we “trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men” (1 Timothy 4:10). This world is full of people who have grown up with little or no thought of God in their lives, and yet He created us to “taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that [trusts] in Him” (Psalm 34:88O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)). It is of far more importance that we, as guilty sinners, should not be trusting in our own efforts or good works to gain merit with God, but that we should believe what God says about His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants us to believe that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). By putting your trust in Him as your Saviour, you can have peace with God and know that your sins are forgiven.
Mr. Coatsworth had his daughter’s cocker spaniel, Tubby, along for the ride, but the poor dog was so terrified that it refused to be taken from the car to safety. Leonard was forced to leave his car and dog behind while he hurried off the bridge. He said, “On hands and knees most of the time, I crawled five hundred yards or more to the towers. ... My breath was coming in gasps; my knees were raw and bleeding, my hands bruised and swollen from gripping the concrete curb. ... Toward the last, I risked rising to my feet and running a few yards at a time.”
As dangerous as it was, another dog lover, an engineering professor named Bert Farquharson, had compassion on that dog and walked far out on the bridge to try to rescue Tubby. His only reward was being bitten. He barely got back to safety when a 600-foot section of the bridge deck with Tubby aboard finally collapsed into the water 190 feet below. The section Farquharson was on dropped 30 feet with the sudden release of tension. A remarkable record of these events was captured in a video taken by an engineer studying the bridge, and it is now widely available on the Internet. People wondered why such a new steel bridge could fail when the crosswind speed was only 42 mph. However, the untrustworthy bridge had a serious engineering design flaw unknown at the time — aeroelastic flutter.
Tubby’s fears remind me of many people who are afraid of considering the sweet story of the love of God as found in the Word of God, the Bible. We read, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). This is God’s provision of a Saviour who is perfectly worthy of our trust. While the things men design sometimes fail, God’s provision of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will never fail for those who put their trust in Him. While we all have greatly offended God in many ways every day of our lives, yet He has mercy and pardon for those who will repent of their sins (have a change of mind regarding their sins). The good news is that “God [commends] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)). Let me ask you, “In what or in whom do you trust your eternal destiny?”
That poor dog Tubby refused to be saved, and it died in the collapse of the bridge. Yes, Tubby was afraid of going with someone who was willing to save him. What about you? Are you afraid of meeting the God who loves you and has a wonderful salvation to offer you? Are you afraid of being laughed at by your friends? The Lord is pleading with you to “acquaint now [yourself] with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto [you]” (Job 22:2121Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. (Job 22:21)). Tubby actually had two offers of being saved. It reminds us of another thing God has said: “God [speaks] once, yea twice, yet man [perceives] it not” (Job 33:1414For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. (Job 33:14)). Oh the joy of knowing the Lord Jesus as your Saviour! He loves you and wants you for His very own to bless you with the gift of eternal life. Won’t you trust Him now?