Awesome Power

By David Hobbs

[The following incident happened on the Lake Chelan Fire in Central Washington in July, 1970 (Pg 150 in Out of the Fire, A Life Radically Changed), though this story is not in in the final version of the book).]

The fire was a major fire, burning on one side of Lake Chelan with the fire camp on the other, so we had every "Huey" helicopter the Forest service could get its hands on in the Western U.S. working the fire (and even one from Alaska).

One day I was riding “shotgun” in our Huey when they made up a sling load of supplies for us to take over to a helispot near the fire. The place we were putting it into was a flat area covered with 200-300 foot trees. They had cut down enough trees to make a small clearing and we were going to have to lower our sling load down into this opening. The pilot asked me to talk him down over the intercom while I looked through the bubble on the bottom of the helicopter, while he looked straight ahead and kept us level in the middle of the opening.

I kept saying “Lower! Lower!” as the guys waving on the fallen trees below grew from tiny specks to close enough that I could see the beards on their faces and the “whites” [brand of boots] on their feet. Then the load flopped down on a log and the rope grew slack. “Let ‘er go,” I shouted into the intercom, and the pilot released the cargo hook and I saw the rope land in a pile on top of the load.

Then I took my eyes off the drama below and looked out the windshield straight ahead again. I was shocked! Instead of sky, all I could see was trees! We were 100 feet or more down in this narrow shaft in the tree canopy, like being in a well. Something like a claustrophobic panic clawed at me. We were supposed to be soaring above the earth, not trapped within it. How could we get out of here?

Then the pilot applied pitch to the rotors, fuel surged into the engine and it was like a giant hand lifted us straight out of that deep well and launched us back into the sky. What an exhilarating feeling to experience that power rush, that “wind beneath our wings” lifting us! I imagine that’s what the Rapture will feel like, and what Jesus experienced as the Father’s power lifted Him out of the lowest hell and “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come (Eph. 1:21).” Praise the Lord for His glorious power!