In the 80s, Holiday Beach Raceway was a popular hangout. The drag races drew large crowds of enthusiastic fans. But anywhere people gather, there’s always that one drunk guy. He shows up at events and ruins it for everyone else. He came to the races one night and got himself arrested. The two deputies who arrested him, however, weren’t prepared for what happened next. 

Crowds act weird sometimes. Police recruits are taught to “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” This crowd of race fans suddenly decided they didn’t want the drunk guy going to jail. They surrounded the patrol car and demanded his release. Only two deputies stood between them. Things became tense as the crowd grew bigger and bolder in their demands. 

One of the deputies called out over the radio for assistance. Somehow that didn’t seem urgent enough. He keyed the radio again and said, “Change that to ‘double zero’ instead.” Thus, he initiated the sacred all-call of police distress signals. “Double zero,” though rarely used, is reserved for those moments when an officer needs “all available assistance.“ Every cop east of the Mississippi prepared to respond.

Although the wait seemed long, the first assisting unit arrived and slid to a stop. As the dust cleared, the crowd turned to see an Alabama State Trooper calmly exit his vehicle. He opened his trunk, donned a riot helmet, and racked a Remington 870, 12-gauge shotgun. Magically, the mood changed. And, with the sound of a hundred approaching sirens, the ocean of angry people parted like the Red Sea. 

All the arriving blue lights sucked the bravado from the rowdy crowd. So many cops showed up, they needed cops to direct all the cop cars. Long story short, the drunk guy went to jail. So did several members of the mob. The moral of the story is, never underestimate the power of backup.

I have needed backup many times in my career. Far more often, however, I have relied on God’s backup. The Bible encourages us to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) “Grace to help” in this verse means “divine assistance.” God assists us in doing what we can’t do on our own. 

Sinful human nature is a lot like that drunk guy. Just when you think he’s restrained in the back of the patrol car, temptation and pressure surround you, trying to let him out. God’s ‘divine assistance” empowers us to live obediently. God promises His assistance in every circumstance. He hears your “double zero.” His backup is that faithful.

“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” (Psalm 91)