The Sinking Ship

One day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his now famous “Day of Infamy” address to the joint session of Congress. The speech is known for the first words spoken by FDR: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” Roosevelt worded the speech to portray the United States as the innocent victim of an unprovoked attack.

Later that same day, Congress declared war on Japan. The resolution was almost unanimous – passing 82-0 in the Senate and 388-1 in the House. Jeannette Pickering Rankin, the first woman to hold federal office in the United States, was the sole member of Congress to vote against the resolution. Being a lifelong pacifist, she was also one of fifty House members who opposed declaring war on Germany in 1917. 

I am sure that you can think of a time when you were quietly tending to your business when suddenly, you found yourself under attack. If you cannot think of such a time, be prepared, attacks can come at any minute. And whether it is a surprise attack, or you see the bomber planes flying toward you in advance, when it happens, your well laid out plans change in an instant, your cherished comforts get tossed into the sea, smoke and fire clouds your vision, and your once-thought-to-be-unsinkable ship capsizes, taking on water. You walk around dazed and bloodied, confused about what to do next. Life might just never be the same.

In those moments, do you wonder where God is? Do you have faith that God keeps His promises even when your current situation looks as if he is nowhere to be found, just as your ship is sinking?

In the Book of Acts, the apostle Paul and his mates where on a ship that they feared might sink, not from a surprise attack, but amid a violent storm. During the storm, an angel of the God told Paul not to be afraid of the pending danger. Here is what Paul said to the men when they feared the ship would sink with them on it – “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed” (Acts 27:22).

A few verses later we read more of Paul’s words – “So keep courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me” (v.25).

The storm was violent and the ship hit a sandbar, ran aground, and did break apart. Some soldiers wanted to kill Paul and his men to keep them from swimming ashore, but the story ends like this – “He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely” (vv.43b-44).

(I encourage you to read this story in its entirety, found in Acts 27:13-44.)

So, today, just as on that infamous day in 1941, you might be under attack, facing some dire situation. But, know that God, the very same God who promised Joshua that he would never be absent (Deuteronomy. 31:1-8; Joshua 1:1-9), is right with you in the midst of the mess, and He offers you safety, comfort, and protection, even as your ship sinks. 

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