Fahan Presbyterian Church

Jesus is Lord - Romans 10: 9

Trapped Chilean miners turn to Jesus

During their 56-day ordeal, 33 miniature Bibles were sent down for each of the trapped Chilean miners. BBC Radio 4 (18 October) reported that the Bibles “sustained the miners during their ordeal”. Each Bible was personalised with a miner's name and was accompanied by a magnifying glass to make reading easier, the Brazilian newsmagazine Istoe reported. The magazine also said that Psalm 40 was highlighted in each Bible. The passage reads, in part: 'I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit ... and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.' One of the miners, Omar Reygadas, emerged from the rescue pod clutching his Bible and said: 'There are miners who were not believers and now believe in God.'

This is the difference that the Word of God makes in peoples’ lives. The miners were able to turn to God because these Bibles made Him real for them in the midst of unimaginably horrific conditions nearly half a mile underground.

The Bible can be a lifeline for many who are suffering in this country too. They may not be trapped in a mine, but they feel just as trapped through poverty, illness, unemployment.

See also some additional information where a miner meets Luis Palu on stage.