Shipwrecked

In 1st Peter 1, we're told that we are:
5...kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ...

There will be those times of discouragement in practically all our lives, and when we face trials in this life, even those that will totally overwhelm us and threaten to shipwreck us, we can turn our hearts toward Him, double down on God's Word, and trust in Him to get us through.   We also realize that our mistakes, while they could be allowed to destroy us, can be overcome and our paths redeemed as we devote ourselves to the will of God and submit ourselves to the mighty hand of God, who loves us and will restore us.

We can be convinced that the Lord walks with us in the trials of life, and even in those times in which we depart from His ways, still He reaches out, He loves us, and He desires to repair our hearts and set right the course of our lives.  Jesus reminds us in John 16 that...
33These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Perhaps you remember the sinking of the cruise ship, the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy in 2012. 32 people were reported dead in that tragedy.  The WORLD News Group website has a short piece on the recovery effort for the ship.  For 18 months after it sank, it remained mostly submerged, resting at an angle on a rocky, underwater ledge.

In September of last year, the ship was set upright and placed on underwater platforms built to support it. Now, engineers are filling ballast tanks on the side of the ship with air to raise it high enough in order to be towed 150 miles to its home port of Genoa to be scrapped.   They are fighting the possibility the hull might break apart, spewing the ship’s contents into one of Europe’s most sensitive marine sanctuaries.

It's the most expensive maritime salvage project in history, with a $2 billion dollar pricetag.

Salvage Master Nick Sloane and his crew reportedly had shirts printed for the operation, reading "Love and Determination."

I don't know how one becomes a salvage master, but I do think that is a rather intriguing title, and this shipwreck recovery effort is a wonderful picture of how our Lord can take us, in our human fallibility, in the aftermath of our mistakes, perhaps even out of the shipwreck of our lives, and restore us, making us new and strong.

Nick Sloane has already been given a lot of credit for overcoming obstacles, including weather concerns, to hoist the ship into an upright position, and the job's not done.  We can be reminded that the work of redemption, of making us new creations in Christ Jesus, is an awesome work that God has done, a great work in transforming the heart.   And, His work in our lives to repair us as we trust in Him and grow in Him is an ongoing process, but One that He is totally capable of performing as we allow Him to do His work.  

Unlike the Costa Concordia, which will never sail again, God has not relegated any of us to the scrap heap of life, and desires to release His restorative work in our lives.   Even though we may feel that our lives have run aground, if we surrender to Him and allow Him to strengthen us through His Word, the inner work of His Spirit, and the affirmation and encouragement of fellow believers, we will see Him bring to fruition an incredible expression of His magnificent grace!