“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (John 5:26, NIV2)

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35, NIV2)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’” (John 6:53, NIV2)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…’” (John 11:25, NIV2)

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, NIV2)

The final battle at Gettysburg, called Pickett’s Charge, was disastrous for the Confederates. Out of the 5500 soldiers involved in the charge, 1,499 surrendered, 224 were killed and 1,140 were wounded. One Captain, Henry T. Owen of the 18th Virginia volunteers, remained quite disturbed for months on end. He had seen many valiant soldiers, some of them friends of his, die during the onslaught. He miraculously survived the battle as well as the Civil War.

He had a dream that he shared with his wife in a letter. In his dream, he was once again in the midst of the battle in Gettysburg, marching with his friends. He perceived a thin shadow walking in front of him, however; and although it was quite translucent, no matter what he did, he could not get away from it. The shadow continually remained between him and his enemies.

Once the battle was over, the shadow spoke to him: “I am the angel that protected you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Overwhelmed, he woke up and burst into tears. There truly is a God who stood up for him!

Thousands of soldiers faced that war in Gettysburg. No matter how strong or clever they might have been, there was nothing that they could do to keep themselves out of harm’s way. All of them faced death row, and those who came through unscathed were considered the lucky ones. Luck, however, does not exist. Miracles are of God, not luck. Those who trust in their luck are the ones who avoid the real evidence that there is Someone who can make things happen by His very presence.

Even though I’ve never been involved in a war, I can vouch for this. A few decades ago (Boy, time sure flies by!), while driving through the Jura Mountains, my friend’s front axle broke. There was a small parking lot to our right, and my friend pulled off the road and stopped the car—just inches from the precipice. That particular road does not have very many turn-outs; so why was it that there was one at exactly the place where the axle broke? And cars with broken axles aren’t able to stop; so why were we able to stop—just inches short of the cliff? The only explanation is that God was protecting us.

I have talked with people and read other testimonies similar to mine where lives were spared. They too had faced death head on and were left unscathed. What do we do when this happens? We praise God and thank Him from the depths of our hearts.

Other than the temporary biological life, none of us can proclaim we have life in us. Only One can proclaim that, and He freely shares this life with anyone who seriously searches for Him.

Life is never within us, but it is within our reach. Many would be willing to give everything they have in order to live forever; but when it is offered for free, people expect a hoax. After all, nothing in today’s mentality is truly free!

Those who have experienced “life” can vouch that it is really true. Once we have been miraculously saved from certain death, we can’t help but discover that life means much more than just biological living.

In the next few weeks, we will discover what real living truly means. It’s way beyond biological. It’s a life filled with purpose that will stretch beyond eternity.

If you have personally experienced an encounter with death and survived it, why not share it with us? After all, there was a purpose behind that unforgettable experience…

Are you ready to charge? Heads up and go for it!

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Alive” devotional series, please click here.)