Wednesday October 13, all eyes will be on the San Jose Mine in Chile where 33 miners have been trapped at a depth of 300 meters underground since August 5. At midnight on Tuesday, a specially designed rescue capsule will be lowered in to the mine to begin the tedious, but joyful process of removing the miners one by one from the small space in which they have been confined for the past 68 days.
Most of us have followed the daily reports. Fuzzy grey images of the miners themselves, beards overgrown, eyes gaunt but, hopeful. The families gathered at the surface, hanging on every image of their loved ones. The tangled web, of some of their lives exposed by virtue of the situation for all the world to see to the pain and embarrassment of those involved.
It’s hard to imagine what these men have endured; their stories now worth more money than most these men could have ever imagined. In preparation for their ascent to the surface, the men are already being prepped on how to deal with the media frenzy which will instantly engulf them once they arrive. The competition for which (money and fame) will more than likely do as much to fragment the miners and their families as the experience did to unify them.
Watching this scenario unfold, it isn’t hard to see the spiritual analogy of the situation. Men trapped in darkness, powerless on their own to bring about their own rescue, utterly helpless and without hope – death a certainty without the help of an outside source.
The Bible tells us that before coming to Christ, we were the same way, we were all trapped in darkness and without hope; our sin separating us from the light which is in Christ.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 5-7
In 2 Peter 2:9, the scripture tells us that as believers, we have been called “out of darkness into his wonderful light.” The light of Jesus as brilliant and warm and satisfying as the sun which will greet the men when they first emerge from the rescue capsule; a light so bright that their eyes will undoubtedly need protection for the first few minutes, if not hours after they arrive. The dim lights which had served them while underground, as feeble an imitation of the glorious light which God has placed in the heavens above as the imitations we choose over the light which is God himself.
33 miners with 33 stories – 33 opportunities to glorify God. Perhaps in his mercy, God has afforded us in these last days, a living illustration of what it means to be delivered from darkness to light. As the final hours wind down to minutes, let us keep these men in our prayers. May God bless them with a safe and uneventful rescue, may any work done in their hearts by the Holy Spirit during their time of confinement endure beyond the bright lights of the media and the publicity that will follow. May these men truly be a testimony of what it means to walk out of the darkness and into the light.
From the book of Isaiah as quoted in Matthew 4:16 – “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned”. May it be known far and wide, Jesus is that light!
*Thank you to all of you who sent me well wishes while my sister and her family was visiting. We had a wonderful time! My sister has twice had cancer and her visit last week was preceded by a good report from her doctor, for which we were most grateful. Blessings to you all! Cindy
Heaven Bound 
So the deliverance comes at midnight on the 70th day for them? Interesting. Reminds one of the 70th week, etc. 🙂
Also, this article has a lot of symbolism in it: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39558833/ns/world_news-americas/
Notice the talk of wives preparing to be united with their husbands
“Don’t let’s set our hearts on an exact evacuation date, let’s trust the expert”
“It’s like waiting for a birth”
“The “Plan B” drill won a three-way race”
“Camp Hope”
etc
God bless.
By: Jay on October 11, 2010
at 11:44 pm
Hi Jay, all good points! Thanks for sharing your observations, it will be interesting to watch this play out. Cindy
By: cindybythesea on October 12, 2010
at 2:46 am
Chile Miners Still Trapped: Say Butterfly Saved Them on Day of Collapse
Miners in Chile believe that a white butterfly saved their lives the day the mine collapsed.
Story 0 Comments Font Size: In Chile, 33 miners are still trapped underground. Their families are still waiting patiently. Huddled around a fire on a chilly night, they are now telling the incredible story of how a butterfly was their tiny guardian angel.
In a letter to his brother, miner Jorge Galeguillos says he believes a white butterfly saved his life the day the mine caved.
Mining consultant Miguel Fortt is not given to flights of fancy. He says white butterflies flutter around purple flowers that blossom in the desert early in the morning, but they rarely fly deep into a mineshaft. He says the two miners slowed down to observe the butterfly and that saved them from driving into rockfalls triggered by the first cave-in.
“People who are religious would call this a miracle. From a scientific perspective the butterfly may have flown into the mine on air currents. You can draw your own conclusions but that butterfly saved lives,” Fortt says.
Galeguillos’ brother, who is also a miner, can’t explain how a butterfly flew more than 500 meters deep into the mine. But like most of the miners there, he believes the butterfly was protecting his older brother’s life.
ep 28, 2010 … Miners in Chile believe that a white butterfly saved their lives the day the mine collapsed.
http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/103921684.html – Cached
By: Diane on October 12, 2010
at 8:14 pm
Hi Diane, Wow, that’s an amazing story! I had not yet heard about the butterfly. I agree, for a butterfly to be found so deep within the earth, it could only be the hand of God. Thanks for passing it on to me. Blessings! Cindy
By: cindybythesea on October 13, 2010
at 5:31 am
God is sooooo GOOD! What a special way to show the miners His love. Thanks for sharing this gem.
Kim
By: Kim on October 14, 2010
at 3:44 pm
What a wise and true post, Cindy!! Job 28 also provides allegorical insight into this situation:
“People know how to mine silver and refine gold. They know how to dig iron from the earth and smelt copper from stone. They know how to put light into darkness and explore the farthest, darkest regions of the earth as they search for ore. They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives… But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living… [but] God surely knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth… Then, when he had done all this, he saw wisdom and measured it. He established it and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.'” (v1-4, 12-13, 23, 27-28)
By: ultraguy on October 21, 2010
at 2:20 pm