JACK WAS just 16 years old when he joined a ship's crew and went to sea. He was a Christian boy and before he left home he promised his mother that he would kneel down and pray three times a day. His mother said that she too would kneel in prayer at the same times and so they would both meet before the throne of grace.
Faithful to his word Jack went down into the hold below the decks and prayed three times a day. The rest of the crew were an ungodly lot, and made fun of poor Jack. They threw things at him and poured water over him. But they could not stop him from praying, so they began to treat him roughly.
When Jack persevered in prayer, and the men could not accomplish their purpose, in anger one day one of them tied a rope around him and threw him overboard. He tried to catch hold of the ship's side but those evil men pushed him off with a pole.
Finally poor Jack's strength gave out, and he felt sure they meant to drown him. He prayed to God to forgive his tormentors and cried out, "Tell Mother that I died for Jesus." Then he lay back unconscious on the water. The men, ashamed and smitten by their sinful deeds, pulled him up on deck again.
Jack recovered but God honored his brave young servant, for when the men saw his courage and realized how much he loved his Saviour, they were sorry for what they had done. That night two of the sailors repented of their sins and turned to the Lord Jesus and were saved. So,
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the seas
And rides upon the storm.
Jack felt his terrible ordeal was worth it all when he realized that God used it in the salvation of some of that crew.
Messages of the Love of God 11/16/1975