The Raven Princess, a large chartered fishing boat, was rolling with the waves. Twenty people were standing along the rails fishing. They lowered and lifted their fishing rods to give a lifelike action to the lure on the end of their lines. From overhead the cries of sea gulls were heard. A half mile to the east they could see the large waves breaking on the rocky shore of Vancouver Island.
Every few minutes somebody would call out, “Fish on!” Then after a short battle between fisherman and fish, one of the crew members would use a long-handled net to scoop the shining salmon on board, its scales glittering in the sunlight.
“Hey, what’s that black thing moving in the water?” Jason asked his dad, pointing to it.
“It looks like the fin of an orca whale, Jason.”
“An orca whale!” a neighboring fisherman exclaimed. “Hey, everybody, come over here and see the orca!”
In just a few moments all the passengers on the Raven Princess had reeled in their lines and stood on one side of the boat, watching.
The orca was rapidly swimming toward the Raven Princess. Its black dorsal fin protruded about six feet out of the water. The orca arched out of the water as if it were trying to spot something, and its white spots could be seen.
“Look, it’s chasing a seal!” someone pointed out. All eyes strained to see the much smaller animal darting through the water. The orca was chasing its dinner, and the seal was fleeing for its life. The chase was bringing them close to the boat.
“Dad,” Justin asked, “how will that seal escape?”
“I have a hunch that the seal is swimming to our boat for protection. Maybe it knows that the orca will not want to get too close to it.”
“I hope the seal makes it,” Jason replied.
Jason’s father was right. The seal, swimming just out of reach of the orca, came up to the side of the boat and circled it nervously. From its panting for breath, the passengers could tell it was tired from its race with the orca. The orca stopped its chase about 30 feet away from the boat, apparently not wanting to come any closer. It seemed to be waiting for its prey. Occasionally it blew spray through its blowhole.
The people on deck could see the seal’s whiskers and dark eyes as it swam around the boat. One of the crew members pointed out that the seal was little more than a pup and hadn’t grown to full size yet.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to help the seal get away?” Jason asked the skipper of the boat.
“Well, we’re out here to fish, not to save seals from orcas. They have to eat too.”
Several people at once disagreed with the skipper and wanted to do what they could to save the seal.
“Okay, since most of you feel so strongly, we will do what we can,” the skipper said. Then he picked up his microphone and announced, “I’d like everyone to move to the front of the boat. We are going to catch the seal in a net and swing it onto the deck of the boat. Then we’ll drive it back to shore.”
Most of the people clapped when they heard this message.
In a few moments one of the crew members lowered a fishing net into the water. Then, as if the seal understood that this was its way to escape from the orca, it swam into the net. It took two crew members to lift the seal onto the deck. The seal was tired and didn’t try to move much once it was on board.
The skipper turned the Raven Princess toward shore. The orca followed the boat all the way to the harbor before turning around and heading back to sea. The crew safely released the seal in the harbor. And the people on board the Raven Princess had quite the story to tell their friends about the seal that was snatched from the jaws of death!
This little seal is a picture of every child who knows they have sinned and who goes to the Lord Jesus to save them. Unlike the skipper of the boat who wasn’t willing to save the seal at first, the Lord Jesus loves you very much and wants to save you! He said, “Him that [comes] to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)). That means that He will never turn away anyone who comes to Him for salvation. Once the seal was in the boat, he was safe from his enemy, the orca, until he was released. But once we believe on the Lord Jesus, we are safe forever. He said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)). The Lord Jesus is a Savior who is “mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:11Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (Isaiah 63:1)). He is stronger than all of our enemies, and He has done everything needed to save us and take us safely home to His Father. Have you come to Him to be saved?
Messages of God’s Love 4/23/2023