"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee." (Psalms 91:7)

Miracle on the Hudson

Dear Friends,

Greetings. We hope you all had an inspiring and uplifting week. For those of you who stay abreast of the news all we can do is join together and say, thank God. To begin this weeks editorial we wanted to post a news article which while some may find it a bit disconcerting also helps to show God's saving power in what could have been a great catastrophe, that is the miracle and survival of those on the plane that landed on the Hudson River separating New York and New Jersey.

Independent.co.uk

Great escape: Miracle on the Hudson river

Passengers and crew rescued from a jet crippled by a bird strike after take-off

By David Usborne in New York - Friday, 16 January 2009

A US Airways jet dropped abruptly out of the sky into the frigid waters of the Hudson river yesterday after being crippled by what initial reports said were birds entering one or both of its engines shortly after take-off from La Guardia airport.

Across New York, astonished residents, workers and tourists watched as the Airbus 320, with 150 passengers and five crew on board, descended and struck the water a stone's throw from the densely populated avenues of Manhattan. The jet skimmed the surface almost like a sea-plane.

The crash will enter the annals of aviation as something akin to a miracle, as loss of life or serious injury was averted. The pilots, led by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, ditched the plane without the fuselage breaking up, which could have led to a massive loss of life.

The impact was immediately followed by a swift and orderly evacuation as water seeped into the cabin.

"Wow, thank the Lord and thank the pilot," said Alberto Panero, one of those on board. "I cannot believe he managed to land that plane safely. This was a near-death experience."

Some of those on board the US Airways Flight 1549 from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina, described how the passengers on the almost full aircraft quickly moved to open the emergency exits after the impact. Once outside, where the temperature was -7C, they lined up on the wings as boats, including tourist pleasure crafts and ferries, approached to pick them up and take them to safety. Others stepped into rafts that had inflated outside the plane's front exits.

A few (passengers) found themselves wading knee-deep or up to their waists as the aircraft's wing dipped under the water.

As dusk fell, it became clear that no one had perished in the crash and even the injuries had mostly been minor.

The Governor of New York, David Paterson, said: "There is an heroic pilot who saved himself and 154 other people. We have had a miracle on 34th Street and I believe that today we have had a miracle on the Hudson."

Even as water began to fill the cabin, the pilot walked the full length of the plane twice before getting off himself to make sure everyone had been safely evacuated.

The aircraft was only airborne for about three minutes, attaining an altitude of barely 3,000 feet, before beginning its rapid descent.

Officials said the pilot initially tried to fly as far as Teterboro Airport, a private airstrip on the New Jersey side of the Hudson river. However, it quickly became clear the aircraft would not make the distance.

With a double-engine failure, a pilot might normally attempt to find smooth pavement on land to try to get his equipment down. But Manhattan's lack of open spaces meant the pilot was forced to try to land on the river.

Several passengers said the only instruction given to them from the cockpit had been an announcement from the pilot to "brace for impact". "At first there was a little bit of a panic. There were a couple of people who took charge and started yelling to calm down. Once people realised we were going to be OK, everybody calmed down and tried to get out of the plane."

Ferries and coast guard boats towed the plane to the extreme southern tip of Manhattan, where it was tied up and remained partially afloat last night.

The challenge: Landing on water

Landing a plane on water is not easy and is rarely attempted. In choosing to do so, the pilot must have decided he would not make it to La Guardia or Teterboro Airport. The lack of any other large enough space meant the Hudson River was the only option. David Learmount, the operations and safety editor of Flight Global, said it was important to keep the plane "absolutely level" when landing on water, to stop a wing-tip hitting the water first and causing the fuselage to break up.

(Edited by Almondtree Productions)

Of course what is inspiring about this is that it shows how God can protect and save in the most extreme life threatening situations. We wanted to encourage you with the realization that there are many examples of this very thing throughout the Bible.

One that immediately comes to mind is Noah, the Ark and the flood."By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." (Hebrews 11:7 Genesis 7:23)

Another well known example is Moses at the Red Sea. With Pharaoh's army closing in on Moses and the Children of Israel and no where to run, being blocked by the sea, God again did the miracle that saved millions from annihilation. " And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned." (Exodus 14:15-16 Hebrews 11:29)

Another extreme miracle God performed for His children but not as well know concerns a battle Joshua fought against a people known as the Amorites. Joshua and his army needed more time to finish the battle but day was getting on. That is when God did an outstanding miracle at the command of Joshua. "Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel." (Joshua 10:12-14)

Another miracle in God delivering is the harlot Rahab. In Joshua chapter two, Rahab, received the two spies, hid them and deceived the king of Jericho and his men. Because of her actions, which were an act of faith, Rahab and her family were the only ones spared when Jericho was destroyed. " And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." (Joshua 6:25)

Rahab is even used as an example of faith along with such luminaries as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc in Hebrews chapter 11, which is sometimes referred to as "God's Hall of Fame! " By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." (Hebrews 11:30-31)

Another example of God planning to save people out of impossible situations is the promise in the Bible of the Church, body of believers, during the Great Tribulation when the devil is trying to destroy the followers of Jesus. "And when the dragon (devil) saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (Church) which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." (Revelation 12:13-14)

Of course the greatest rescue we will ever experience is the rapture when Jesus literally lifts us off the planet, out of harms way, at the end of the Great Tribulation. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1Thessalonians 4:16-17)

So, it doesn't really matter if it is one person or a million. God is able to do a miracle to save you, if need be. As has been said He will either take care of you or take you. Either way your future is assured. We pray you all have a great week ahead. Right now He wants to make sure you are saved forever. The Bible says in Romans chapter ten; "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

All you have to do to know you will be saved is to pray a short prayer, something like this: Dear Jesus I know I have sinned and done wrong in my life. I ask you to please forgive my sin, come into my heart, give me eternal life and help me to live my life for you and for others. In Jesus name, I pray.

If you would like to contact us with any questions or suggestions you may have, we invite you to contact us via the web site. If you would like to have one of our Christian mystics channel God's Word for you we also encourage you to write us via the web site.

God bless and keep you until next time.

Almondtree Productions

"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)