You may have heard the story about a man caught in a flash flood. He was devoutly religious and was sure that God would save him. He scrambled to the roof of his house and waited for the divine hand of grace. As the water inched higher, a rescuer in a boat rowed by and offered him a seat. The stranded man politely declined saying, “No thanks. God will save me.” About an hour later, as the water rose above the eaves, another boater came by and offered assistance. Secure in his faith, he declined again: “No, I’m sure God will save me.” Two hours later he was clinging to his chimney as his feet dangled in the raging current. Just then a helicopter dropped a ladder to him, but he adamantly refused to climb aboard, believing that God was just testing his faith. Eventually the floodwaters washed him away, and he drowned. As his soul awakened at the pearly gates, he demanded an explanation from Saint Peter. “Why didn’t you save me?” he scolded. Exasperated, Saint Peter replied, “We tried! We tried! We sent you two rowboats and a helicopter!” The man in this story appears foolish because of his rigid expectations for the arrival of grace. But most of us can probably think of times when we looked similarly for divine intervention.

– Edgar Cayce Handbook for Creating Your Future by Mark Thurston Phd, Christopher Fazel