When the waters are choppy and the waves high, a ship lists back and forth, plunging and rising through the sea. If a man is too close to the railing, he could fall into the water. Then, you would hear those familiar words, “Man overboard!” and every able-bodied sailor would come to his rescue and pull him to safety.
Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6 NIV).
Before we are saved, it’s like we are on a ship, tossed to and fro by the storms of life. If we’re not careful, one day we’ll get swept overboard. Once we fall, we realize that we need God in our lives, and we ask Him to be our Savior.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12 NIV).
The next thing we know, the angels are shouting those familiar words, “Man overboard!” And then God reaches down and rescues us from that cold, dark sea of despair.
I was on that ship this past year. I was tossed in every direction possible. At times, I thought the weight was so heavy that there was no way out. Satan tried his best to drag me into the depths, but I hung on to my hope in Christ. I’m still holding on, trusting that the Lord will rescue me. And each time I come up against those choppy waters, I will become stronger and stronger.
Once we are saved and the storms come, we now have the strength to hang on tight and ride them out.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:14 NIV).
If you are still on that ship battling that storm, I beg you to hang on and not let Satan push you overboard and drag you to the depths. Reach out to God before you fall into those cold, dark waters. His angels are standing by to shout those familiar words, and God is waiting to reach down and save you.
He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave (Psalm 107:20 NIV).
Debbie Mitchell