Friday, August 1, 2003
Friday, August 1, 2003
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
The explosion propelled him high into the air, over the masts of two attacking Danish ships, and
into the sail of another Swedish ship, the Draken. Sparrfelt was entirely unhurt and was now safe
on another Swedish vessel. While almost everyone else on the Kronan perished that day,
Sparrfelt was fortunate beyond anything a man could hope.
Such events are hard to understand, but, no matter what happens to us, God is with us. In some
of the precious moments of our lives, we are blessed beyond our worthiness. In other moments,
we are torn apart. No matter what moment we face in life, God promises to be with us.
Sometimes God is actually carrying us.
(Psalm 46.7
NRSV)
On June 1, 1676, the Swedish ship Kronan tried to make a tight turn in a naval battle. It capsized
and exploded. Of her crew of 850 sailors and troops, only 42 survived. Most of those 42 survived
by swimming away before the explosion and the quick sinking. However, a soldier named
Anders Sparrfelt was on deck when the ship exploded, and yet he lived.
Lord Jesus, thank you for always being with me in the blessed moments and in the crushing
ones. Amen.
