Recently, a man named Matt told of an experience that matched how King David felt. He had traveled to a beach on the coast of Australia to enjoy the sun, sand and sea, and he was standing a few yards from shore when a huge wave washed over him and knocked him off his feet. He struggled to find a footing, but there was only water underneath him. After some minutes of frantic but useless swimming, he found himself hundreds of yards from the crowded beach. He had been caught off guard by a riptide or undercurrent, a danger the local people were well aware of. His shouts were lost in the noise of the wind and waves, and as he was growing weaker, he was certain he was going to drown.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big fellow on an extra-large surfboard appeared beside him and ordered him to hang onto the board “for dear life.” As he told the story, he said, “My savior then helped haul me onto the board where I just flopped helplessly,” and in this way they rode the waves back to shore, back to solid footing and safety.
Who was this savior? He was a lifeguard that had noticed, over the crowded beach, one man in terrible danger and had rushed to his aid. Matt said, “I owe my life to that Australian lifeguard.”
Although most of us will never be in danger of riptides threatening our lives, yet there are many “undercurrents” and pitfalls in life waiting to trap us. Satan is a master at placing traps for young and old. He knows all the things that entice us, knows we are weak and sinful, and causes many to fall into the “sea of sin.” But the good news is that the Lord Jesus is our “Great Lifeguard.” He saw us all sinking and in danger, not only of ruining our lives here and now, but, more importantly, of losing our souls for all eternity. He knew we desperately needed help, so He came into the world as our Saviour, right down to where we were, and He stands ready to pull us to safety. Matt knew that if someone didn’t come to where he was in the water and save him, he was going to drown. A lifeguard sitting on the beach couldn’t do much for him. You and I must realize that not only are we lost sinners, but we cannot save ourselves, and we must call on our “Great Lifeguard” to save us. Matt’s lifeguard saved his life for the present, but the Lord Jesus did much more. He came to earth to seek the lost, willing to die in our place so that we could live, not just in this life, but for all eternity with Him. Isn’t it wonderful that our great Saviour has such a large, loving heart that He reaches out and saves all who call upon Him!
The lifeguard told Matt he was so close to death that he was saved “in the nick of time”! Since none of us knows when our “nick of time” might be, it is important that we listen and obey the Word of God. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:66Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6)), because “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Our Saviour, Jesus, is not “sitting on the beach somewhere.” He is beside you right now and talking to your heart. Will you accept His offer?