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Fred Rebell – Escape to the Sea

 The divinity of Christ came back to my mind. What a splendid opportunity this was to settle the question!

 According to Wells,  Christ was but a mere man. Now Wells is unquestionably a person of great ability, intellect, and education. He is an authority on history and a famous novelist to boot; and he is greatly esteemed in all American educational circles. I could not, therefore, but regard his opinion as carrying weight - not lightly to be disregarded.

On the other hand the" Bible claims 'Divinity for Christ, according to the Bible, by His mere command He healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and did many other wonderful things. Also He had said: "Whatsoever you ask of the Father in my Name He will give it you."' And the Bible also has been highly esteemed by many able, intellectual, educated men, at one time or another. So the question now in my mind was, which was the liar, Wells or the Bible? One of them must be. [actually the logic here is a little unsound, you can be both]

I might have read a thousand books and yet their reading could never have answered that question. Only a practical test could answer it such a test as the present storm afforded.

I knew my boat: she was a good boat, but I knew that she was no match for this gale, I knew I was in danger of my life, and my need a pressing one. But had I not left Australia in a little boat with the very object in view, that I might test Providence? That I might find out for sure if there is a God Who cares for us? - I felt rather agitated: for the next hour, I felt, would be - in both senses – the most decisive in  my life.

Then I said the following prayer

"God Almighty, I know Thou hearest me. I am in need, and  I am in doubt. I am in danger of death: and I want to know if Christ really was what He claimed to be.  Therefore, as a test I ask Thee in the Name of Jesus Christ, please moderate this gale before sunset."

I  know that most people will laugh at the idea of anyone trying to stop a tempest by prayer. Yet the words were hardly out of my mouth when the gale began to ease off.  The sting seemed gone out of the angry blasts, and ever rarer did they come. By sunset it was no more than a moderate breeze which kept on easing off all the night. By eight o'clock next morning there was not a breath of breeze left. It was the abruptest knock-out to any gale I had ever witnessed.