CHARLES HARRIS: Jonah didn’t have Coca-Cola

Harrison Odjegba Okene is not a name you would know. On May 26, 2015, he was serving as a cook on a tugboat, the Jackson-4, off the coast of Nigeria. At 4:30 that morning, the tugboat overturned and sank 98 feet to the ocean floor. Harrison found himself trapped in an air pocket near the bow of the ship. His 11 other shipmates perished. Surviving on one bottle of Coke in the dark abyss, Harrison began reciting what Bible he had remembered from reading the night before. At the encouragement of his wife, he had read from Psalms, “Oh God, by your name, save me … The Lord sustains my life.” After 72 hours in the deep, he was rescued by divers who had come to recover the bodies. In a later interview, he stated that his salvation from that situation had come from the Lord.

There are a lot of differences between Jonah’s ordeal and what happened to Harrison Okene. Jonah didn’t have Coca-Cola, Harrison was not in a creature prepared by God and the list could go on. What was interesting is that when they were in the deep, they both turned to God.

Listen to what Jonah had to say about his experience. “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heard my voice. For Thou had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me. Then said I, I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look again to Thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet has Thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into Thine holy temple. They that observing lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. ” (Jonah 2:2-9)

In their time of deep distress, they turned to God. They both knew that their salvation from the most horrible situation they had ever faced would come from God. For Harrison, it was an accident that he ended up trapped at the bottom of the ocean. For Jonah, he had tried to run from God. His watery timeout was God’s way of getting his attention. When the creature vomited him out onto the beach, God gave him the same command. The Bible tells us, “So Jonah arose and went.” (Jonah 2:3)

Maybe you find yourself in a dark place right now due to unforeseen events. You may feel alone, but God is there. Cast all your cares on Him and there will be peace. (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7) You may be at the very bottom due to the consequences of sin, but God would have you to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Before his ordeal, Harrison read, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3) and believed it.