Rescued! [Tract]

Full Text of Rescued

Before the first battle of the Solomon Islands during World War II, a destroyer left the United States. Each man was given a New Testament and Psalms. One man, who’d never read a Bible before, stuck his copy in his pocket and forgot about it.

After reaching the war zone, they entered fierce fighting. During the battle, the ship sank. Five men managed to jump into a life raft and escape. As they drifted out into the South Pacific, they became frightened, realizing there was little chance of rescue. The life raft had saved them when the ship sank, but it wasn’t much of a refuge in heavy seas in a vast ocean. As each man thought about the improba­bility of rescue, he had to deal with the probability of death.

While weighing the grim outlook, the man who had put his New Testament in his pocket remembered it. When he brought it out, three of the others ridi­culed him. But the fifth man said, “Read it! And read out loud so we can all hear.”

The man began to read aloud from where he’d opened in Psalm 91: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”

Before sunset that same day, high waves swept three of the men off into watery graves — the same three who had ridiculed the reading of the New Testament. The two survivors had both believed what was written in Psalm 91 and had turned their lives over to the Lord Jesus, trusting Him as their Refuge and Fortress. They had the comfort of knowing that, should their lives be lost at sea, their souls would be safe in the arms of Jesus.

Rescued

As darkness fell, a sweeping beam of light from an approaching ship suddenly lighted their life raft and locked on it. Although the high waves tossed the little raft up and down, the steady beam of light never lost them. Finally the ship came alongside, and the men were lifted into the safety of the large ship — another U.S. destroyer. The first thing the two grateful men told their rescuers was that God had saved their souls!

The Bible forewarns that God’s patience with man’s unrestrained sin won’t last indefi­nitely. “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6). God has already set the date to bring judgment upon this world. “He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Christ Jesus] whom He hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). And every sinner will bear God’s wrath against his sins … unless … he has claimed the Refuge that God Himself has provided in the person of His Son, Christ Jesus. “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26).

Jesus saw the sinner’s need and told His Father that He would be that Refuge for them. He knew the terrible cost — He would have to bear God’s fierce wrath against every sin for each sinner who would come to Him for refuge. He went to Cal­vary’s cross and fulfilled that requirement — bear­ing God’s wrath against sin. He died and rose from the dead, and now, as a Refuge for sin­ners, He offers you forgiveness and an eternal home with Him.

But what about those who die in their sins — without Christ as their Refuge?

“I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. … And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. … And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11‑12,15).

God in great mercy offers you a Refuge — His Son Christ Jesus. Will you accept Him as your Refuge from God’s wrath against your sins? Your decision determines where you spend eternity. “Flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7).