Keeping the Faith
On May 26, 2013, a tugboat named the Jascon-4 traversed through crushing waves and pouring rain just off the coast of Nigeria. Its mission: to pick up a large oil tanker filled with gasoline from a nearby oil platform. Harrison Okene had just woken up to use the bathroom. As he was doing this, a wave crashed into the side of the boat, causing it to capsize. Okene left the bathroom and started running though the ship, trying to escape, but most doors leading to the outside had been locked to deter pirates. Okene made his way to the ship's officers cabins, looking for any place to get out. As the ship began to settle into its watery grave, something amazing happened. Harrison Okene found an air pocket. This gave him a small supply of oxygen, but he was still far from the surface. Okene was struggling to stay alive. During these dark hours, he thought about his wife and his family. But most importantly, he prayed to God. Okene prayed for safety and comfort. He thanked God for his survival. After sixty grueling hours of fighting for survival, Okene heard a noise. Unlike the usual aquatic noises, this sound was more like a knocking. Then he saw something he had lost hope of ever seeing again, a bright flash of light.
That light belonged to a South African diver, Nico van Heerden. Heerden and his crew were sent to recover the bodies of those who were onboard the Jascon-4. They were not expecting to find a man still living after two and a half days on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. Okene realized God had answered his prayers. This was his chance of survival! Okene knew it would be a risk going out to find the divers because he would be away from his air pocket. But it was a risk worth taking. He swam out of the sunken tugboat and tapped Heerden on the shoulder. Heerden, very alarmed by this, began to freak out. He saw Okene and was amazed at his survival. Okene led them back to the air pocket where he had been surviving. The diving team quickly radioed in to the men above the surface. This recovery mission had turned into a rescue.
Okene was rescued, but it wasn’t easy. While he was trapped in the ship, Okene had started developing hypercapnia, also known as carbon dioxide poisoning. His eyes were glazed, and he was panting. He had also never dived before, so his body was not used to the pressure.
Okene eventually recovered. His faith in God and will to live kept him going in an awful situation. Okene’s story is similar to the one of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 1:3, Nehemiah hears about the destruction of Jerusalem. Nehemiah mourned and fasted for days. He prayed and asked God to be with him. He had to go rebuild Jerusalem, but he knew he couldn’t do it without God. Nehemiah pleaded with the king Artaxerxes to go fix the damage in Jerusalem. The king finally accepted his request. Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah letters granting him passage through Judah and timber for the gates, walls, and the house he will live in. Finally, Nehemiah was on his way. He gathered the supplies he needed to start the reconstruction, then was ready to get to work. The third night he was in Jerusalem, Nehemiah and a few men went to inspect the wreckage of the walls. They kept this a secret. As they were returning, Nehemiah turned to the men and said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision” (2:17). He told the men how God had been protecting him, and the men were inspired. They said, “Let us rise up and build” (2:18). Nehemiah and many others then proceeded to rebuild their city. Because of their faith in God, the men were able to power through many hardships. People made fun of them and attacked them, but they were no match for the great power of God.
Harrison Okene kept faith and prayed and was eventually rescued. Nehemiah prayed and rebuilt an entire city. These men found strength in God, and pushed through their hardships, but only with His help. God can help us through any situation, but only if we keep faith in Him.