Leslie didn’t panic right away when her 9-year-old son Tommy, his Aunt Alison and Cousin Zach didn’t return as quickly as expected. They had left hours ago on a kayaking outing on Lake Michigan.
The three kayakers had gone out in two kayaks from Door County, Wisconsin, for what was supposed to be a short trip. But the wind speed picked up, and they were unable to paddle the kayaks back to shore against the wind. As a result, the winds pushed them miles off course.
As the hours passed and it began to get dark, Leslie became quite worried about the three kayakers. All three were wearing snug-fitting life jackets, but they had no way to call for help or to signal their location. She called the U.S. Coast Guard to alert them that the two kayaks had not returned. What Leslie didn’t know was the kayaks had been pushed nearly 10 miles by strong 15 mph offshore winds. Alison and the two boys weren’t able to paddle back to shore against those winds. It was very scary!
How many of you children have memorized this verse: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee [God]” (Psalm 56:33What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. (Psalm 56:3))? We don’t know if Tommy or Zach or Alison had ever learned this Bible verse, but if they had, I think it would have reminded them to ask God for rescue from their scary time out on the windy lake. And here’s another verse that would have helped them as they shivered in the cold night air, far from any shore: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)). But if they didn’t know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, they might not have even thought to pray. Is the Lord Jesus Christ your Saviour? If so, and if you had been in one of those kayaks, would you have asked Him for His help so you would be rescued? I’m sure you would have.
The Coast Guard crew in a rescue helicopter could not locate the kayaks in the growing darkness. However, the Aviators from the Royal Canadian Air Force had picked up the radio reports of the lost kayaks on Lake Michigan and joined the search. And local authorities also searched for them by boat.
Alison had tied the two kayaks together so they wouldn’t get separated in the choppy water. They spent the cold night drifting in the wind.
Early the next morning, the kayaks were spotted about 5:30, even though from the air they were just two small specks on the water. The three very cold kayakers waved to the Coast Guard helicopter as it zeroed in on their location. The helicopter dropped down so the three could be hoisted up into the helicopter, one at a time in a basket, with help from a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. From there they were flown to a hospital in Menominee, Michigan, where they were found to be in fairly good condition with only mild hypothermia.
The next day, after they were back home in Illinois and fully recovered, they thanked the U.S. Coast Guard rescue crew of three who had flown over from their base in Traverse City, Michigan. The two families met them at the Wheeling, Illinois, airport and served them pizza and cupcakes as a thank-you for rescuing them.
Those of you boys and girls, and grown-ups too, who have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Rescuer from the penalty for your sins, have you thanked Him? He loves you very much and paid a great price—His very life—to save you.
Here is a good verse for each of you to memorize: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Psalm 18:22The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:2)).
MEMORY VERSE: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” Psalm 18:22The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:2)
ML-08/28/2016