A Greater Deliverance
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesThe story is told of a submarine that lay disabled on the ocean floor. Several days passed and the crew lost hope of being rescued. The prospect was especially dim because they had not been able to communicate their exact position to ships on the surface. The commanding officer explained to the men that they didn”™t have much longer to live, and he suggested that they sing a hymn. So together, they sang these words: “Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide!”
As the oxygen supply began to run out, the men gradually weakened. One sailor was affected more quickly than the others and lurched forward, crashing against the vessel”™s surfacing equipment. Suddenly the faulty mechanism began to operate, and the vessel slowly rose from the ocean floor. They all made it back to port safely.
Greater than any deliverance from a literal sea, is God”™s provision for those who are trapped in the ocean of unbelief. Only obedience to God’s salvation plan can bring us out of the pit of sin and degradation (Psalm 40:1-2).
If we are caught in the grip of sin, Jesus alone can give us a new start. If we will render obedience to the soul-saving gospel of Christ (Romans 6:17; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18), we will be lifted out of the waters of God’s wrath into the sunlight of God”™s forgiveness (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; cf. Ephesians 1:3-7).
From sinking sand He lifted me,
With tender hand He lifted me;
From shades of night to plains of light,
O praise His name, He lifted me! “”Gabriel