Hudson Bay in northern Canada is home to many polar bears. In winter they like to hunt seals on the ice that freezes in the bay. Polar bears are fierce predators. Standing upright on their hind feet, they can measure more than seven feet tall and may weigh up to 1500 pounds. They are expert swimmers and are well protected in the icy water by a double coat of fur and a thick layer of blubber. Their white fur blends in perfectly with snow and ice, making them stealthy hunters. They are also one kind of bear that will attack man, so if you are in polar bear country, you must be very careful.
Bill Wolki is an Eskimo who makes his living by working as a guide to tourists who want to see these bears in their natural surroundings. One day Bill and his wife were out with an American tourist. They were bundled up in thick, winter clothing to stay warm in the subzero temperatures. Mr. Wolki carried a rifle for protection.
They were walking the shoreline when Mr. Wolki saw the body of a dead seal on an ice floe about thirty yards from shore. He got into a small aluminum boat, handed his rifle to his wife, and pushed off from shore in the boat. He crossed the gap of open water to the ice floe, carefully got out of the boat and went to get the seal. He planned to use the seal as bait to attract a polar bear.
Mr. Wolki had stretched a rope from shore to the ice floe in order to pull himself back to shore. While he was on the ice floe, a sudden squall blew up. A strong gust of wind hit the ice floe, snapping the rope as if it were a piece of string. Pushed by the wind, the ice floe rapidly drifted out to the open sea.
Mr. Wolki had no paddle in the boat. His wife stood on the shore and helplessly watched as the ice floe drifted away. She understood her husband’s danger. He was drifting on an open sea in freezing temperatures and with night coming on. Without a weapon, he would be easy prey for a polar bear. Mrs. Wolki didn’t know if she would ever see her husband again.
Drifting out to sea, Mr. Wolki was in real danger of losing his life. Floating away from shore into the dark of night is just like the life of a sinner. However, every sinner is in even more serious danger. Sin has opened up a wide gap between a righteous, sin-hating yet loving God and the sinner.
As sinners, you and I cannot cross over this gap in our own strength. And we cannot make ourselves holy by our own labors. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean [thing]?” (Job 14:44Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. (Job 14:4)). Nor can any kind of good works make a bridge over that fearful gap. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:2020Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)). Sin has the terrible power to separate us from God. Souls who continue to live apart from God until they die will be separated from Him forever and sent into the darkness of a lost eternity. If help couldn’t be found for Mr. Wolki, he would lose his life. And the very same is true for every sinner.
Standing on shore, Mrs. Wolki had a satellite phone in her pocket. She immediately called for help, but the area where they were located was so remote that it would take hours before help could arrive. A C130 search plane quickly took off from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but it would take six hours to arrive. Two Twin Otter helicopters also took off from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. It would be hours before they would arrive too. Would they find Mr. Wolki still alive?
The aircraft arrived at the scene in the blackness of night. The lighted headlamp of a snowmobile pointed in the direction Mr. Wolki had drifted out to sea. The aircraft flew over many chunks of ice. Finally, they spotted one with the small boat drawn up onto it. Mr. Wolki had turned it over and was using it for a shelter against the wind. The C130 airplane flew over the ice floe, and a crew member dropped a two-way radio out the window. Mr. Wolki now had a way to communicate with the men in the airplane. He told them he was not hurt, but that he was cold and worried about polar bears.
After some discussion, it was decided that two rescue workers would parachute out of the helicopters. The two men were expert parachutists, but they still needed lots of courage. If they missed their target, they would almost certainly drown in the freezing water.
The two men jumped, and by pulling the chords to direct their chutes, they were able to land safely on the ice floe. They had brought a tent, rifles, food and water with them. The aircraft flying overhead were running low on fuel and had to return to their bases. The rescuers stayed with Mr. Wolki on the ice floe until late the next day when another helicopter arrived with a cable and a basket attached to it. This helicopter was able to lift the three men to safety.
Mr. Wolki almost lost his life and was only saved by help that came from above. For a sinner to be saved, he or she must receive help from above too.
To save sinners, God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, who left His home in heaven where all was light and love. He came down to this earth where sin, darkness and death ruled. Because He went to the cross and died for sinners, the most beautiful message of love ever heard can go out to the entire world. This message tells sinners of a Saviour who loves them and offers free salvation: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)). This is the saving help that God offers to you and me. Will you receive it and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?
ML-06/17/2007