The Thought for the Day is from Romans 10 v14.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
John Harper, a Scottish minister, was travelling by ship to preach for 3 months at Moody Church in Chicago. As the ship crossed the Atlantic, it struck an iceberg and began to sink. Some passengers were able to reach lifeboats, but many, Harper included, were flung into the cold Atlantic.
As the people frantically tried to stay afloat, Harper swam around asking individuals if they knew Jesus. At one point, Harper approached a passenger floating on a piece of debris and pleaded with him to trust Christ. Just before Harper slipped under the icy waters for the last time, he said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Four years later, at a meeting of survivors of that ship, the Titanic, the man testified that he had been saved twice that night. First he had trusted Christ because of Harper’s witness, and second, he had been plucked from the frigid sea.
Hopefully none of us will ever be in a similar situation to that which John Harper found himself in. Looking at the sea every day reminds me of the power of God. Sometimes when one ship is leaving port and another is coming in they look as if they are going to sail straight into one another. At times the sea is grey and at others times it is blue or green. One morning it was absolutely shimmering in the sunlight and I got chatting to a lady who likes to swim in the sea most days. She mentioned how clear it has been recently and that she could see her hands in it.
How brave was John Harper to continue to witness in such a terrifying situation. He was telling everyone about the One who can save anyone.
Give thanks to God for all those who witness for God in their everyday lives.