That It May Be Well With You

Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee… —Deuteronomy 12:28

Walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. —Jeremiah 7:23

God gave commands for our good and protection. His commands are not grievous (1 John 5:3).  You only hurt yourself when you deliberately violate the instructions of God’s Word.

The book “Out of the Depths” tells the harrowing true story of Ed Harrell who served as a U.S. Marine in WW2.  Towards the end of the war he and a few other Marines were assigned to a highly classified mission. It was so secretive, they were only told they were to secure a large crate from Nevada and deliver it to the USS Indianapolis. They were not told what the crate contained. They were to stand guard over that crate until until it reached it’s destination on a small island in the Pacific.  We know now the crate contained the components of the atomic bomb that would finally end the war.

The men fulfilled their mission and delivered the crate to the Pacific island. After dropping off their cargo, they remained on board the USS Indianapolis as it sailed for the Philippines. The mission was so secret, the ship’s departure and destination were sealed and unknown to anyone.

After departing for the Philippines, the USS Indianapolis was hit by three successive Japanese torpedoes.  The ship sunk leaving about 880 men floating in life jackets in the Pacific Ocean.  Because the mission was so secret, no one knew the ship went down. Harrell was floating in a group of about 80 men. After two days, those survivors had dwindled down to 17 men.  Some were eaten by sharks or died as a result of drinking the salt water.  After four days, their were only five survivors amongst in Harrell’s group.  They were miraculously spotted in the ocean by a pilot who was flying over them and rescued.  [Of the 880 men who survived the sinking, only a total of 317 ultimately lived.] Ed Harrell, who is a Christian, attributes his rescue to the providence of God.

Ed Harrell was asked in an interview how he resisted drinking water from the ocean during those four days. He said in his training as a Marine, it was constantly drilled into his head the dangers of drinking salt water. His training demanded that no matter how thirsty he was, never drink water should he ever be marooned in the ocean.  Ed Harrell survived his nightmarish experience because he followed the orders he was given.

When we are torpedoed by an unexpected crisis, and we find ourselves floating in a sea of suffering, our survival is dependent on following the instructions of God’s Word, and not succumbing to the desires of the flesh to drink that which will only make our problem worse.