It was a beautiful springtime evening, and Mr. Jones had hopes of a nice, smooth overnight ride as he drove his car onto the ferryboat Marine Atlantica. It would be a 96-mile crossing over the Cabot Strait from Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. In the back of his mind, however, he was thinking that this was not the best time of the year to make the crossing, because of drifting ice problems. Each spring the frozen St. Lawrence River breaks up and sends its heavy ice out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This often plays tricks on boats and ships traveling through these waters.
The trip was quiet and smooth for the first hour or two, so Mr. Jones settled in for a little sleep. Suddenly he was awakened by a grinding sound and felt the ferry shake and lurch as it began to pound its way through an ice field. (These ferryboats are built for this task.) However, to his concern, the ferry soon was forced to a stop.
Are we stuck? he wondered. No, the ferry backed up and then pushed forward again with a ramming drive through the ice. They moved on for a while before the ice again forced the ferry to a stop. The ferry continued this backward and forward travel through the ice.
For Mr. Jones and the other passengers, sleep by now was impossible! They all were wondering, Will we make it? . . . Will we get through the ice?
The answer was NO! They finally came to a complete stop—the ice won out! The wind pushing against the drifting ice field held the ferryboat captive. The captain shut down the engines. There was nothing else he could do.
What a reminder this is of how helpless we are. Every man, woman and child born into this world is a born sinner. We have no power to free ourselves from sin. But then comes the sweet ray of sunlight: “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)).
By now it was early morning and beginning to get light. Every direction they looked, the passengers could only see the white of the widespread ice field—no other ships and no sight of land. How helpless they felt! What about getting to North Sydney? What about this day’s plans? Needless to say, Mr. Jones and the other passengers were filled with uncertainty.
After another two or three hours of waiting, some thought they heard the sound of a plane. They were right. A helicopter was coming, sent out by an icebreaker boat to find the ferryboat. Help was on the way! Someone had heard they were in trouble!
Boys and girls, do you know that the Lord Jesus has His eye upon you as a poor, helpless sinner in this world? He loves the people He has created, but He doesn’t love their sins. “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:2-32The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:2‑3)). But there is hope for any sinner, just as there was hope for the stuck ferryboat.
Finally, on the horizon the passengers could see a ship coming. Everybody was so happy and relieved. As they waited for the rescue ship to arrive, Mr. Jones, who loves the Lord Jesus, overheard a father tell his young son, “They are coming to save us.” What do you think crossed Mr. Jones’s mind? He was thinking of how the Lord Jesus first came into the world as a baby. His reason for coming—”He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:2121And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)). The Lord Jesus obeyed His Father’s will—He came all the way to the cross of Calvary to meet us in our need to have our sins forgiven.
The John A. McDonald coast guard icebreaker was a happy sight, as it plowed open a pathway through the ice. Hear that sound! Cracking, rumbling, ice breaking up in every direction—nothing could stop the icebreaker! Its hull was bright red, making it easy for the helicopter to see it from the air. Then, to the eager interest of all the passengers, the icebreaker made a complete circle around the ferry, breaking up the ice and setting it free from its ice prison.
And, boys and girls, are you free from the prison of your sins? “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:3636If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)). What happy, what wonderful freedom for those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior! Yes, they are free from their prison of sin!
Happiness and relief showed on the faces of all the passengers as the engines of the ferry were once again started. Then Mr. Jones suddenly thought, But where is the icebreaker going? Will it leave us? What if we get stuck again?” His fears didn’t last long, for the icebreaker, without stopping, took the lead and broke open a path for the ferryboat all the way to the open waters of North Sydney! Can you imagine how glad Mr. Jones and the other passengers were to drive their cars off the ferryboat and onto the solid ground of Nova Scotia!
And for you children who have accepted the Lord Jesus as your very own Savior, here is one of His promises to you: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)). He is an all-the-way-home-to-heaven Savior! Is He your Savior?
ML-03/10/2019