Another life saved. Now what?

Most people believe the answer to this question rests in the hands of the survivor. As first responders, we did our job. We showed up, answered the call, performed our duty, and saved a life that, without intervention, seemed moments away from perishing.

A great deal of thought goes into the purpose behind what we do. Most of the time, that purpose is restrained by professionalism. We tell ourselves, “This is what we signed up for.” The outcome becomes secondary. What happens after the save is no longer our responsibility. Our contentment is found in doing everything we can and then letting go of the results.

Nevertheless, there is not a first responder alive who has not, at one point or another, replayed a call in their mind and wondered what happened to the person they helped: a clinical save after rounds and rounds of CPR when a father collapsed right in front of his family, or riding in with an ambulance crew, giving hope to a gunshot victim as you apply pressure to a wound in an attempt to prevent them from bleeding out after being shot in a fight gone bad.

We train ourselves to respond, react, deliver, and then suppress. By doing our job and moving on, we think we protect ourselves. But over time, our thoughts inevitably drift back to those memories.

Maybe a similar call occurs, or another first responder talks to you about a situation they faced that was eerily similar. Inevitably, we find ourselves asking:

“What happened to that person we saved?”

Maybe the father who collapsed in front of his family changed his life after recovery and now spends his days cherishing every moment with his children.

Maybe the gunshot victim you comforted made a full recovery. Maybe, after going through what they experienced, they devoted their life to helping others in need.

These thoughts and questions are heavy enough, but as a Christian first responder, I find myself not only thinking about these possibilities but also asking God about them. Sometimes my questions to the Lord are deep:

“How did You use what we did to further Your kingdom, Lord? Did it make an eternal difference for the person we saved? Did we give them a second chance so they could come to faith in You?”

God’s answer to those questions is often the same as the answers we already have. We are to do the very best we can on every call and trust God with the results. We must be content knowing we did what we were called to do. God will take both the greatest rescue stories and the most tragic events and use them for His glory in ways we could never comprehend.

The results of what God does through us are often results we do not get to experience.

The great thing about God is that He loves for us to ask Him questions (Psalm 5), and He loves for us to think about how big He is and how much control He has over all things (Isaiah 46:9–10). Perhaps the person we rescued is only one small part of a much larger plan. Maybe their story influences a family member or friend to seek God. Maybe a news report about their survival reaches someone hundreds of miles away who is drawn to hear the Gospel and come to faith in Christ.

The ripple effects of God’s sovereignty are often beyond human understanding. Even the heroin addict revived from an overdose, or the homicide suspect taken into custody, may, through circumstances we never see, become part of God’s plan to reach others. In rehab, prison, or brokenness, God may use their story to save souls we will never know about on this side of eternity.

In Scripture, we see stories of lives being saved and then left largely unknown to us all the time. God’s grace in saving sinners begins with Him saying, “I’ve got this,” and is demonstrated by Him leaving us with one simple answer: “Trust Me. I’ve got this from here.”

In Luke 19:1–10, we see Zacchaeus the tax collector saved. Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” After Jesus says this, that is essentially the end of Zacchaeus’ story in Scripture. We do not hear from him again. His story, and the stories of anyone in his household who were saved, remain untold.

Another example is the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. After Philip encounters him and he is saved, all we are told is that “he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39).

Some church scholars suggest these men went on to start churches and share the Gospel. The truth is that we do not know for sure what happened to them. What we can know with certainty is that because they were saved, Christ living in them created within them the same desire and mission given to all believers: to go throughout the world sharing the Gospel and making disciples. We can also confidently echo Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Scripture reminds us that God rescues us, and once we are rescued, He never leaves us as we were. God has a plan and a purpose for all whom He saves. We are created in Christ for good works (Ephesians 2:10).

As Christian first responders, we work in a profession that stands face-to-face with death on a regular basis. Death, evil, pain, uncertainty, and despair surround nearly every person we are called to help. Because of the reality of death occurring all around us, we serve in one of the most mission-ready fields for the Gospel in the world.

While people’s focus is often on immediate earthly needs, our hearts should be moved by everyone’s deeper eternal need: to be freed from sin and death and reconciled to the one true and living God. Our mission is to share the Gospel with the confident expectation that God will save all those He intends to save, and then use their lives and stories to bring glory to Himself.

Thinking about our experiences and asking God questions is important. Everyone searches for meaning in this life. As Christian first responders, we need to become more comfortable talking about things we may not be able to answer. We are not God, and for others to open themselves to the truth that there is a God, they often need someone willing to stand in the gap when their hard questions arise, questions whose answers can only be found by looking to God and His Word.

While we may not know all the answers to every situation we encounter on this side of eternity, we can be certain of this and offer hope to ourselves and others: everything that occurs in this life carries meaning and is ultimately used for God's perfect and sovereign purpose.

How does God help us to trust Him with all the results of life?

• By revealing His character: “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished,” (Exodus 34:6-7)

• By reminding us of His sovereignty. “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” (Ephesians 1:11)

• By calling us to faithfulness rather than control. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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