It was October of 1942, and the B17 Flying Fortress had run out of fuel and was forced down in the Pacific Ocean. Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and his crew of seven men drifted in three rubber rafts in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’m sure that in the heart of each man were the same questions: Will we ever make it out of here alive? Will we be rescued, or will we die?
For 24 days the men suffered from the heat. They endured storms. Sharks rammed into their nine-foot rafts. And worst of all, after only eight days their food was entirely gone or destroyed by the seawater.
John Bartak was one of the crew members, and he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He managed to keep his Bible when they abandoned the sinking plane, and each day he read it and shared it with the others. His trust was in God, and he knew that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:2626But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)). God had delivered Jonah from the belly of the great fish, He delivered Daniel from the lions, and He delivered David from a lion, a bear and a giant. He raised Lazarus from the dead, He fed thousands of people with just a few loaves and fishes, and He gave sight to the blind. John Bartak knew what God can do.
James Whittaker, in one of the rafts, was an unbeliever. He grew irritated with Bartak and did not want to hear what he had to say. He did not believe God could save them. He said it would take an absolute miracle! They were out of radio range. They were out of food. Things looked utterly hopeless.
One day Captain Rickenbacker sat in the raft with his hat pulled down over his eyes, and a sea gull landed on his hat. All the men looked at Rickenbacker. He made a quick move and grabbed the bird. They ate it and used the intestines of the sea gull as bait to catch fish. The crew lived to tell the story. And James Whittaker had a change of heart.
God created us, and He loves us. He works in many different ways to draw people to Himself. We are rebellious and, like sheep, we’ve all “gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)). Is God speaking to you in your life? Has He given you some difficult situation to make you call on Him? Sometimes He brings us to impossible situations that we might realize we need help outside of ourselves -His help.
The Bible, God’s Word, “is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105105NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)). When we read it, our faith in God becomes strong. Psalm 19:1010More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10) says God’s words are to be desired more than gold. Do you believe it? If you could have a million dollars or a Bible, do you realize that the Bible is the real treasure? John Bartak knew he had a treasure in his God and in his Bible. When he was in great need, he could have peace and confidence in his God. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:77Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)).
ML-10/01/2000