Kathy was on her way home from India.  She had boarded the last liner to leave now they were at war.  They were hoping to sail home safely and avoid the U-boats which lay in wait for ships.  She enjoyed dinner in the dining room and as she was tired and nervous, she went back to her cabin.  She climbed into her bunk and fell asleep dreaming of peaceful days lazing beneath a tree next to a beautiful river.

Late that night there was a sudden explosion and the ship began to sink.   Someone shouted, "We have been torpedoed!"  Kathy woke up with a fright.  The lights were out and the ship was stopped.  She realised that something was wrong when she climbed out of bed and found the floor was lying at an steep angle.

Grabbing her Bible, Kathy rushed up to the deck and found it nearly level with the sea.  She stepped off the sloping deck into the surging sea and minutes later the ship sank with a roar of escaping steam.  She floundered in the water until she was able to grab onto a plank of wood and called for help.  A faint cry answered her.  A little while later a life raft bumped into her.

The ship's mate hauled her aboard and covered the shivering girl with a blanket.  It appeared that only six had survived, five of whom had been badly injured by the explosion.  Kathy was the only one not injured.  The mate had been struck by a falling spar as the ship went down.

On the second day he collapsed.  She cared for him many days after the other four died from the oil they had swallowed and from burns from the flames that had swept over sea from the oil gushing out from the ruptured tanks.   After several days, the mate died peacefully as the edge of the sun touched the horizon.  She was alone ... and frightened!

Kathy bowed her head and prayed.  She suddenly remembered that she had managed to scoop up her Bible as she left her cabin.  It was wrapped in oil skin.  She unwrapped it and found that it was dry and undamaged.  She paged through it and stopped at Romans 8:35 which said:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

"I'm in peril," she called out, "Please save me, God!"  For days it seemed that only the waves had heard her.  She starved, except when flying fish landed on the raft.  She ate them raw.  Sometimes it rained and she was able to collect water by squeezing it from her blanket.

"I cannot believe it!" she exclaimed when many days later she saw a trawler bearing down on her.  They let down a net and sailors scrambled down to lift her into the boat. "I'm safe.  Oh, thank You Jesus!" she cried, "You answered my prayer and saved me from the sea."

Yes, God had saved her and she was also kept safe throughout the long war.   God cares for each one of us with an everlasting love.  Jesus said that we should call on God and he will answer our prayers.

If you have a need, pray and then trust God to answer your prayer.  Jesus said that if we ask anything in His Name, He will do it.  So we can be sure that God will hear our prayers and will answer in His way and in His time.  Right on time, every time!

God bless.