The Egede’s lived in Norway on the seacoast. Ten-year-old Paul was the Egede’s only child. One morning when Mr. Egede was away on business, Paul asked his mother, “Can I go to the strands today and look for fish?” (The strands is the name of the land that is uncovered by the ocean when the tide flows out.)
“All right, you may go, but be sure you come home before noon,” Paul’s mother said.
Paul found a basket to carry the fish that he planned to find and trotted happily down the path which led from their cottage to the sea. Behind him rose majestic mountains. As he got near the strands he could see sea gulls flying in the sky, but no person was in sight.
Paul began searching for fish called flounder. They are a small fish that look like a flat, round, greenish-brown stone. They don’t have eyes on either side of their heads like other fish do; instead, both their eyes are on the right side of their head. These fish swim along the bottom of the ocean, and sometimes they get trapped in small pools of water when the tide goes out.
Some days Paul didn’t find any fish, but today was unusually good. He was finding so many that he forgot about the time. Farther out on the strands he searched, hoping to fill his basket with fish. He was so busy finding fish that he never noticed the returning tide behind him.
When he finally turned around he saw his mother on the shore half a mile away. Because the tide had covered all that distance with water, Paul was unable to get back to shore!
Slowly and steadily the tide kept rising. It rose to his ankles, then it rose to his knees. If Paul didn’t do something soon he would be trapped and drown. He was in great danger!
Paul went to the closest rock and climbed on top of it, but the water kept getting higher too!
On shore Paul’s mother could see the tide rising and knew the danger her son was in. She cried to God in prayer. “Oh, God, stop the rising tide and spare my son!” she pleaded. Both Paul and his mother were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Hasn’t God promised to protect those who trust in Him?” she thought. “Then He must help my Paul,” she told herself.
The water rose until it completely covered the rock Paul was standing on. Then, it stopped rising. For several long hours Paul stood on that rock, until the tide flowed back out and it was possible to return to shore.
How thankful Paul and his mother both were. They both learned a lesson that day, that God will protect those who trust Him.
A few years after this story happened, when Paul was 13, the Egede family moved to icy Greenland. They went there to tell the Eskimos about the love of God in sending His Son into this world to die for them.
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? He loves you and died for you. He is now at the right hand of God in heaven and is able to save from their sins every person who trusts in Him. Trust in Him today.
ML-02/15/1987