Carried Through the Storm

<p>During Scottish missionary Alexander Duff&rsquo;s first voyage to India in 1830, he was shipwrecked in a storm off the coast of South Africa. He and his fellow passengers made it to a small, desolate island; and a short time later, one of the crew found a copy of a Bible belonging to Duff washed ashore on the beach. When the book dried, Duff read Psalm 107 to his fellow survivors, and they took courage. Finally, after a rescue and yet another shipwreck, Duff arrived in India.</p> <p>Psalm 107 lists some of the ways God delivered the Israelites. Duff and his shipmates no doubt identified with and took comfort in the words: &ldquo;He stilled the storm&nbsp;to a whisper; the waves&nbsp;of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them&nbsp;to their desired haven&rdquo; (vv. 29&ndash;30). And, like the Israelites, they too &ldquo;[gave] thanks&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<smallcaps>Lord</smallcaps>&nbsp;for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds&nbsp;for mankind&rdquo; (v. 31).</p> <p>We see a parallel to Psalm 107:28&ndash;30 in the New Testament (Matthew 8:23&ndash;27; Mark 4:35&ndash;41). Jesus and His disciples were in a boat at sea when a violent storm began. His disciples cried out in fear, and Jesus&mdash;God in flesh&mdash;calmed the sea. We too can take courage! Our powerful God and Savior hears and responds to our cries and comforts us in the midst of our storms.</p>