Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea. 2 Corinthians 11:25

I wonder if Adrian Vasquez feels blessed or cursed.

He might feel he is cursed because he had to bury two of his friends at sea. On February 24th he and his pals went fishing. They were headed back to their home port of Rio Hato when the boat's motor conked out.

After two weeks, one of the lads stopped eating and drinking. He died on March 10th. Because of dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke, Vasquez's second friend passed away on March 15th. When their bodies began to decompose, he had to consign them to the sea.

Now you know why Vasquez might feel cursed.

And why should he feel blessed? Sometime after his water had been depleted, it stormed. It stormed enough that Vasquez was able to refill that five-gallon water container. That water and the raw fish he was able to catch sustained him for the rest of his ordeal.

But there's more to Vasquez's blessings. By a minor miracle he was spotted by some commercial fishermen. They picked him up and turned him over to Ecuador's Coast Guard.

Vasquez had been adrift for 28 days. That beats St. Paul's "a night and a day" adrift at sea.

Still, I wonder if when you're adrift, when you don't know what is going to happen -- or if anything is going to happen -- it doesn't make any difference how many days pass. You're really, truly alone.

Or are you?

Now it's true no human knew where Vasquez was, but that doesn't mean he was alone. The living Lord Jesus Christ who had given His life to save Vasquez's eternal soul was fully aware of the lad's location. Indeed, there was never a moment when Vasquez managed to slip off the Lord's radar.

Now if that's true for Vasquez, it is also true for you.

Although I don't know what your situation or circumstance might be, it is entirely likely that many thousands of the Daily Devotion readers may feel they also are alone ... lost ... adrift.

If that describes you, remember, the Lord knows, and He cares, and He is with you.

And that answers our original question. Adrian, you, me ... we're all blessed. We have a Savior, a Redeemer, a Friend -- a very present help in time of trouble.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, when I feel adrift, send an extra measure of the Holy Spirit, so I might realize and appreciate the blessings of having Jesus as my Savior. Because of Him I shall never be alone. In His Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Joshua 13-15    Luke 10:25-42

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