In 1973 the propeller of a small boat, carrying three young adults and a baby, struck a rock, disabling the boat. In calm water this would not have been a serious problem. However, this boat was less than half a mile from the famous Horseshoe Falls of the Niagara River. The water was not calm at the point in the river where the accident happened. Instead, it rushed and churned along at 20 mph and increased in speed as it got closer to the falls.
The people in the boat somehow missed or ignored the huge warning signs farther upriver. Now, realizing that their boat was heading for the falls, they jumped overboard. With their backs to the 160-foot falls, they battled the 3-foot-deep current for more than two hours before being rescued.
In 1975 a much larger boat, the 725-foot Edmund Fitzgerald, was nearly across Lake Superior when a storm struck. Within hours it broke in half and sank, killing all 29 crewmen on board.
Life is often like the sea; sometimes it is calm, other times playful, and at times quite dangerous. We all have at some time ignored the warnings which appear. The result is trouble which may make us fear that we will die.
But here is a happy thought. In the Bible we read of Someone who came to earth for the very purpose of rescuing wrecked lives. This Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10).
He loves us and wants to save us, but two things are necessary. First, we need to see the danger we are in because of our sins. Second, we need to realize that our best efforts cannot help. In other words, we must admit that we need to be saved by another; that we cannot save our selves. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who is able to save us. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12).
With the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, our “Captain on board,” we can be sure that He has control of our “boat.” He can either quiet the storm by saying, “Peace, be still,” as He did one time to a real storm, or He can give us the extra strength to endure it. Either way, we are safe in Christ.
Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? If you ask Him He will take over the controls of your life and bring you to a safe landing.
ML-08/15/1982