Bible Study Verse
Luke 19:10
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (NIV)
Thoughts
I know that yesterday seemed like the end of the Pukaskwa adventure, but it wasn't. There's one more aspect about dealing with storms that I feel is worth mentioning. As we were sitting on the beach of our final morning waiting for our charter boat to pick us up, we were listening to our marine radio when an alert came across for all boats and ports on Lake Superior. This alert spoke of a man who had not been seen for 7 days. He was trying to sail all the way around Lake Superior on a Catamaran by himself. A family member had finally called the Coast Guard and asked for help, since they hadn't heard from him. This alert kept running every half hour as we waited.
When our boat finally arrived to pick us up, there was another group of 3 young ladies who had been backpacking and were picked up by our boat that morning further up the trail from us. As we listened to the marine radio again, a brief description of the man's Catamaran was given. As we listened, these young ladies reflected back a couple of days earlier when they had seen and taken a picture of a sailboat out on Lake Superior. They flipped back through the pictures they had taken and found that their photo of the sailboat matched the description being given from the Coast Guard. This information was shared with the captain of our charter boat, and he called this in to the authorities. This was the only sighting that anyone had and would at least prove to be useful in at least letting the Coast Guard know how far up the Lake Superior coastline he had reached from leaving Sault Ste. Marie.
As we surfed along the tops of the waves trying to get back to the ranger station, we watched the jagged rocky coast pass. Shortly after this call had been made, we saw a tiny cove with a Catamaran beached up inside it. It was the Catamaran that the Coast Guard was looking for. We could see a fire and a man on the beach. It appeared as if he had beached his boat in the cove to get out of the same storm that we had been in. Again, our captain called this information in to the Coast Guard, so that they could pass along to the family that the man was safe and would be able to be rescued.
(Dave M)
Action Point
In the midst of our storm, we were so concerned about our own issues that we weren't thinking about anyone else or what this could be doing to others. We were simply trying to make it through ourselves.
The difficult trials that life throws our way many times involve others that we are unaware of. God is bigger than we are and able to see things we aren't able to. Sometimes, the issues we have to work through are not just about us. As a matter of fact, others' salvation and faith may be impacted through our experiences in dealing with these difficulties. We don't live on an island.
As painful as it may be to pray, ask that God somehow uses you in the middle of the storm you are going through.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
When you are really out in the wilderness and you run into others along the way, try to be conscious of looking out for needs that they may have. I know that we have been blessed by others in this way!
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