The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world and covers about one fifth of the world’s surface. This is where Louis Jordan found himself when he left South Carolina on a fishing trip on January 23, 2015. He told his family that he was going out into the open sea to sail and catch fish. He had just spent months sanding and painting his 1950s-era, single-masted sailboat, which was 35 feet long.
His family was used to him going out on long fishing trips, but when they did not hear from him in a week, they began to worry. Some of the nights were very cold! But when his mother’s birthday passed and they still hadn’t heard from him, they were certain that something had happened to their son. On January 29, they let the Coast Guard know that their son was missing. Then another week went by. They confirmed with the Coast Guard that their son was still missing.
The Coast Guard did their very best to find Louis. They sent alerts for sailors and others to be on the lookout for Louis and his sailboat from New Jersey to Miami, Florida. On February 8, they began to fly over the ocean and kept hunting for Louis for the next 10 days before having to abandon their efforts. A 35-foot sailboat is very difficult to spot in such a large ocean as the Atlantic! (To give you some idea of how hard it is, try to imagine searching for a floating toothpick in a large lake. Your chances of finding it would be very, very slim!)
As the weeks and then months went by, his family and friends began to give up hope that Louis was still alive. Some of his friends even mourned his death! The family decided to wait until Easter when they were all together to decide whether to have a funeral for Louis or not. They were beginning to lose hope that they would ever see him alive again, even though they had been praying for his safe return.
In the meantime, Louis was adrift 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. Though he had spent many days fishing in the Intercoastal Waterways, he had no experience in navigating the open ocean. Shortly after going out to sea, he got caught in a rough storm. His sailboat was no match for the storm. It capsized, snapping off its mast, and water destroyed all of its electronics. He could no longer communicate. He later told his family that the boat capsized two more times, causing him to do a lot of bailing in order to keep the boat afloat.
He survived by carefully rationing the food that he had on the boat and by catching fish with a hand net, which he had to eat raw. He drank a pint of water a day and collected rain water when he could.
Finally, on day 66, he was spotted by a cargo ship, the “Houston Express.” They saw Louis on the front of his boat, standing up there waving his arms, and they turned that huge ship around. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to airlift Louis to land and reunite him with his family.
While on the helicopter, Louis showed them two things that he said had kept him going—a well-used Bible, which he had read through several times, and a blanket that had sheltered him from the sun and weather.
His family’s worry and fear for Louis’ life was turned to sudden joy and gladness. Boys and girls, this story is a picture of ourselves! We were all born hopelessly lost in our willful sins and in need of a Savior. We all need rescuing, just as Louis did! The Bible tells us that “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)). Because Jesus died for our sins on the cross, when we put our faith and trust in Him, He promises to give us eternal life. Just as there was joy in Louis’ family when he returned home safely, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:1010Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10)).
Boys and girls, has all heaven rejoiced because you have repented of your sins and put your trust in the Lord Jesus?
Messages of God’s Love 4/19/2020