The Simplest 911 Call Ever Made

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. But before that miraculous gliding descent, something remarkably simple happened in the cabin. Flight attendants shouted one instruction to 155 terrified passengers: "Brace! Brace! Heads down! Stay down!" No one was asked to solve an engineering problem. No one needed a pilot's license. The only thing required was to hear the word and respond.

Ferries arrived within minutes. Rescue divers plunged into freezing water. Every single passenger survived — not because they understood the aerodynamics of a dead-stick water landing, but because they trusted the voice and acted on it.

Paul tells the Romans something stunning in its simplicity: "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." Salvation is not locked behind a seminary degree or a lifetime of accumulated merit. It is as close as your next breath. Confess with your mouth. Believe in your heart. Call on His name.

And notice what Paul refuses to add: conditions, fine print, ethnic prerequisites. "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call on Him." The passengers on that plane came from fourteen different countries. The river didn't ask for their passports.

Neither does the Almighty ask for yours. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The word is already near you. Will you respond?