Shipwrecked

Shipwrecked

I live inland from a small, coastal city in Australia called Newcastle. Newcastle is the world’s leading coal exporter and Australia’s largest bulk shipping port.In the regions surrounding Newcastle are coal mines. Every day, many times a day, I can hear in the distance, the coal trains with their many carriages, heading laboriously from the mines, to the Newcastle shipping terminal. Here the coal is loaded into the hulls of huge bulk carriers around 730 feet long ( 225m) and then it is exported around the world. Each day, from the sandy coastlines of Newcastle can be seen patiently moored on the horizon , for mile after mile, coal carriers, waiting for weeks at a time, for their turn to enter the port. From around the world they sit, their hulls filled with water to help act as ballast, ready to be pumped out as they head to the terminal for the coal. Not all the ships are coal ships. There are twenty five different exported items which attract 4,600 ships a year. On any given day, when relaxing by the foreshore, one can be sure to be able to relish the grandeur of a large cargo ship being taken slowly to the terminal.

I enjoy walking along the breakwater wall, with the sea wind in my face and the waves crashing up against the rocks. From here I delight in watching the small tug boats heading through the turquoise channel, out to the next bulk carrier, to guide it safely into port. The ships tower over their small companions, but their safety in the water passage relies completely on following the instructions at all times, as they are gently guided in the shallow waters. I never tire of watching the colossal ships sail quietly by. They have a rare beauty all of their own.

On the 8th of June 2007, the Newcastle Port Corporation radioed the fifty six large ships moored out in the open ocean, warning them of an approaching winter storm and advising them to head further out to sea. Sitting patiently in the Australian waters was the Pasha Bulker, a massive carrier from Japan. It was waiting to load 58, 000 tonnes of black coal. They decided to not heed the warning and remained close to the shore as the storm hit with relentless fury. The sea swell lifted the carrier and hurtled it towards the beach. The crew never radioed for the help of the tug boats, they never placed their anchors down deep and the engine room was fully operational at the time. The strength of the sea propelled the massive ship in the direction of the shore causing both the bow and the stern to lodge immovably into the sand. The coal carrier became trapped between the sandy beach and the rocky reef. The twenty two Filipino and Korean crew members on board were successfully rescued by a helicopter and there sat the Pasha Bulker, grounded and now presenting an almost unsolveable dilemma. The month of June,  while the ship just rested, much excitement was created for the Newcastle region. The ship had become a sudden tourist attraction. There, just metres out to sea from a popular beach was a mammoth cargo carrier. People came from many miles away to view the site, to take photos and gaze at the wonder. Entrepreneurial enterprises sprang up selling t-shirts, mugs and other items precipitating a small economic boom. The local radio station rewrote a popular song, calling it “Blame it on the Pasha Bulker”. Eventually, on July the 2nd, after two previous unsuccessful attempts, the Pasha Bulker was finally refloated, assessed for damage and towed back to Japan for repairs.

As we sail the sea of life we know there are many unpredictable storms ahead. Do I choose to sail it alone, not take heed of the warnings, think I can get through whatever  storms lie ahead by myself? Do I feel I have a great support system that will see me through the rough seas of future days? Am I confident in myself and my abilities? None of us knows what lies ahead. In a single day our lives can suddenly change dramatically. Our only surety and safety lies completely with God. Only He knows what lies ahead and He is fully prepared at all times. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knows what we will face. Can I trust myself to His safe care? Can I give myself entirely to Him, knowing He can hold me through each storm and bring me safely through it ? Will I make Him my surety today? 

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.

Matthew 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.