Daily Devotional for November 6, 2020
The Raft Rescue
Elias knew he wasn’t supposed to go on his homemade raft by himself, but he stepped onto it anyway. It’s not like I’m going anywhere, he thought. It’s tied to a sturdy elm tree. So he sat down and enjoyed the feeling of the raft gently rocking back and forth with the current of the river.
But the rope holding the raft to the tree had become badly frayed, and when Elias jumped up to go back to the house, it suddenly snapped! The raft lunged out from the river’s edge and headed downstream toward a place where the river plunged into rocky rapids. “Help!” Elias screamed as he frantically waved his arms.
As the current became stronger, Elias held on to the raft and continued to yell. If the raft makes it to those rapids, I could die, he thought suddenly. He clung to the raft tighter and called out with all his might, tears filling his eyes.
Then he saw someone come running into the water. “Jump, and I’ll save you!” a voice called out to him.
Elias continued to cling to the raft in terror, not sure he could let go of it even though the rapids were quickly approaching. He looked at the man in the swiftly moving water and realized with a jolt that it was his own father. He leaped into the surging water, and Dad caught his arm and towed him back to shore.
“You know, this experience taught me something,” Dad said later that evening as he handed Elias a mug of hot cocoa. “You had to let go of that raft and just trust me to save you, right?” Elias nodded. “Well,” said Dad thoughtfully, “a friend of mine at work has been telling me I have to quit thinking I can fix myself and trust in Jesus. He told me the Bible says we’re all headed for sure death, and we can’t save ourselves. Just like you had to be willing to jump and trust me to save you, we have to be willing to trust Jesus to save us from our sins so we can have eternal life.”
“I don’t really know much about Jesus,” said Elias, “but if we need Him as much as I needed you today, I want to know more.” • Charlie VanderMeer
How about you?
Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? God says you’re a sinner, and nothing you do can change that. Sin brings death—eternal death. But Jesus suffered that death for you, and by simply trusting in Him, you can be saved and have eternal life. Trust Jesus as your Savior today! (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?