There was once a daring escape from a Nazi war prison. The inmates had dug a tunnel, but it surfaced twenty feet short of the cover of a wooded area. So, they waited until a moonless night and sent one man into the woods to watch for the time when the guard turned his back. The prisoner was to pull on a piece of string that ran from the woods down into the tunnel, letting the next prisoner know it was safe for him to emerge. One by one, the men felt the tug of the string and surfaced, running into the safety of the dark woods.
Unfortunately, the guard heard a sound and walked over to near where the hole was located. He didn’t see the opening but stood by it for some time, looking suspiciously around the area. Time seemed to stand still for the next prisoner who was waiting underground for the tug on the string.
Suddenly, the man lost his patience. He could stand it no longer. He moved forward, then up and out of the hole in the dark. It was the last thing he did. The guard swung around and fired on him with his machine gun, filling him full of lead.
We can learn from that man’s fatal mistake. His error was threefold. He lacked patience, faith, and obedience. If only he had trusted the one on the other end. If only he had obeyed the instructions given to him, he would have found his freedom. Instead, he lost his very life.
The Bible tells us that we inherit the promises of God through “faith and patience” (Heb. 6:12). There are times when a Christian asks God for something, and there is a delay. But he doesn’t lose patience. He hangs in there. The One holding onto the string can see things he can’t, and He knows what is best for him. The Bible says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).
