Frank was a young man who claimed to be “seeking salvation,” but said he could not understand how to come to Christ. He supposed he had not enough faith. Theoretically, he accepted the Bible as the Word of God, and agreed that it taught being justified by faith, but he just could not believe for himself.
One day he asked George and Harry, two friends of his, to go out with him in his boat. It was a clear, sunny morning when they started, but as they were returning, a dense Newfoundland fog came on. Night was setting in. The fog had blotted out sea and sky, and they were soon hopelessly lost.
Both George and Harry were Christians, and suddenly George exclaimed, “Our text this morning was, In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
“Let us plead the promise,” said Harry, “and we shall know what to do.”
They knelt down on the deck while one of them prayed.
In a minute or two Harry, who had gone to the bow, cried out, “Look, the fog is clearing!” and as he spoke, it divided before the little vessel and made an open path across the water. “The Lighthouse! The Lighthouse!” was the next cry, as all saw the bright dot, ten miles away, flash out.
Only a moment they had, to check the compass and take their bearings, and then the drifting walls of vapor closed in again and all was dark as before. Nevertheless, the sailors had seen the light and received their guidance. Independent now of their surroundings, they steered straight in to their destination.
Frank was much impressed by this answer to prayer, and while his mind was full of it, he repeated the story to another Christian friend. However, this friend listened to him skeptically, and at the end observed dryly, “A very remarkable story. Now, if most people had told me that, I would not have believed it. As it is, all I can say is it is a very remarkable story.”
“But I tell you that it’s true, every word of it. Maybe you didn’t understand that I was there myself?”
“But you see, I was not.”
“I don’t understand you,” and Frank got angry. “I tell you I saw it all with my own eyes.”
“But I didn’t.”
“What do you mean? Are you telling me to my face that you don’t believe me?”
“Oh, you thought you saw all this, of course, but probably you dreamed it—or you have not told it quite as it happened—or it may even be something peculiar in my mind which makes it impossible for me to take in what you say. I simply can’t believe!”
Then the Christian, seeing that Frank was getting upset, put his hand on his arm and said quietly, “Now, Frank, you are angry with me for doubting your word—me, a mere man—while you continue to doubt the Word of God. You feel that I insult you when I won’t accept what you tell me is true, but you calmly announce that you do not believe the God of truth.”
In that moment Frank saw clearly and with dismay what he had been saying to God. He expected people to believe him, yet he had said to God, “I can’t believe!” Then and there he saw his unbelief to be really sin, and he did believe the love of Christ and received Him as his Saviour. Praising God for his deliverance, he began to enjoy his salvation.
Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that
exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity
every thought to the
obedience of Christ.