Daily Devotional

On this very day 78 years ago, a British ship named the SS Benlomond sunk in the South Atlantic. At 2:10pm the Benlomond was spotted by the German submarine U-172. The U-boat fired two torpedoes at the Benlomond which then sunk in a matter of minutes. Of the 54 people aboard, only one survived, a mess steward name Poon Lim.

The initial terror of seeing his ship sink only intensified when he realized he was now all alone in the ocean. As one hour turned to another, it no doubt seemed that his end was near. His fear was soon replaced by exhilaration when he found an 8-foot raft, stocked with some food and flashlight. Though he had survived the initial catastrophe, his true ordeal was just beginning; He would spend the next 133 days adrift in the ocean.

Can you imagine what that journey was like? 133 days of hope, fear, and a mix of every other emotion imaginable. The physical journey of Poon Lim is certainly a unique one, but his emotional journey is very familiar to us all.

Life is full of ups and down, sometimes we experience both on the same day. Utter devastation can give way to total joy, which can then give way to a feeling of being lost and emotionally adrift.
Believers in Jesus Christ face the ups and downs of life just like unbelievers. The key difference is that we never face these ups and downs alone. We have to face mountains and valleys just like everyone else, but each step up or down is a step taken with Jesus Christ. He will not leave you; He will not forsake you. Whatever life throws at you (even a global pandemic!) you don’t face it alone. Jesus will be with you, even to the end of the age.

"English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."