A Hole In The Wall

 

T

he constant banging of the hammer, the whizzing of drills, and the rhythmic sound of the jackhammer had become a way of life for all the people working in my classroom building.  The university was bringing the building up to code by installing an exterior fire escape so that everyone would have safe passage out of the building in the event that fire or some other emergency forced an evacuation. 

 

All summer, I watched as crews prepared the ground outside.  They dug a deep hole and proceeded to construct a huge foundation out of concrete and steel.  Then the actual construction of the fire escape began.  I arrived at the office one morning and already the workers were there with a large crane and several sturdy steel girders destined to become the framework for the fire escape.  By late afternoon, they had erected several large pieces and attached them to the exterior wall.  In a few more days, the exterior portion of the construction was completed, and the interior renovations began. 

 

As I approached the building the next morning, I couldn’t help but reflect on God’s promise that he will always make a way of escape for us in times of temptation or in times of trouble.  God never leaves us stranded and his way of escape is always close and adequate to our needs.  The catch is that we must recognize the way of escape and trust enough to take it.  The new fire escape on our building would provide a passage to safety in case of danger.  What a tragedy it would be if someone lost his or her life in our building simply because he or she refused to take the fire escape.  That would be unthinkable, wouldn’t it?  Yet every day we, as Christians, refuse to take the escapes God has provided because we don’t recognize them or because the way of escape seems awkward to us. 

 

No one knew more about awkward ways of escape than the Apostle Paul.  We must see him in Damascus running for his life.  The King has sent his ethnarch to capture Paul and kill him.  The city is under heavy guard.  Everywhere there are spies looking for Paul, ready to capture him and execute the king’s command on the spot.  The city gates are closed, locked, and guarded so they provide no means of safety.  All around him, Saul sees the enemy and there seems to be no way out! 

 

But wait just a minute!  From a small home in the city wall a plan is hatched.  Paul’s disciples review their resources and find a large basket, a rope, and a window!  What kind cockamamie idea are they hatching? Can’t you just hear their conversation now? “Look boys, I think if we tie this rope to that basket, and a few of us hold the rope, we can help Paul escape!  All he has to do is get into the basket.  We will hold the rope and let it down slowly and, with a little luck, Paul will make it to safety!  No sweat!”’ 

 

With a little luck?  No sweat?  Who are they kidding?  Paul must have thought these guys checked their brains at the front desk!!!  But was he going to get a better offer from the king?  Hardly!  So, through a hole in the wall, Paul escaped death and continued to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.  He gives us this account in 2 Corinthians 11:32-34. “In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands”. 

 

God still works like this today.  He always provides a means of escape out of every situation.  It may seem awkward and not what we expected but God’s way of escape always leads to safety and always provides us with the means of continuing his work.  So, the next time you see a fire escape on the side of a building, remind yourself that God always looks out for you and always provides a means of escape, even if it is a hole in the wall!