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Verse:They saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. —John 6:19–21, NIV
There, at the closed ferry landing, we found ourselves in the dark Nicaraguan night. No lights. No hotel. Not even a person in sight.
The ferry was somewhere on the other side of the Wawa Boom River. The shuttered windows of the small ferry office affirmed we were on our own for the night. “We may as well try to get as comfortable as possible,” our driver said as he pulled up to the edge of the river and put our vehicle into park.
“We’re here until dawn. Or maybe later,” he added ruefully. “It just started raining. That may swell the river, so it won’t be safe to cross until later tomorrow.” We didn’t want to spend the night in the vehicle.
We couldn’t sleep with the windows down because of the mosquitoes. They carry dengue fever and malaria —from which I’ve suffered twice.
We prayed together, asking God to help us get home.
With the assurance that God was in control, we made ourselves as comfortable as possible in that closed, humidity-filled vehicle and fell asleep. “Look!” The driver’s excited exclamation suddenly awakened us.
We’d been asleep for forty-five minutes. Blinking, I strained to see through the rain. Something loomed in front of our vehicle.
It looked like a huge ghost ship but was, in actuality, the ferryboat! But it had no lights. No crew. No sound. One solitary man untied the rope at the top of the boat’s ramp and motioned for us to drive onto the ferry.
We advanced onto the dark vessel —the only vehicle aboard. From a distance, the man (or angel?) waved away our offer to pay him, keeping his hoodie over his eyes in the rain. We never did see his face. So, in silence, we crossed the Wawa Boom to the other side. Though I had two cameras beside me, in my amazement and wonder, I never thought to pick one up as we glided across the water.
Looking back, I saw that the little office by which we’d parked earlier was still dark and shuttered. God (whom I know was with us on that ferry!) took us all the way home that night, and I slept in safety under my own mosquito net. God cares so much for us. He wants us to trust that He is with us in our “boats,” in our trials, even in the middle of nowhere! Tough times with Him always build our faith in Him!
Diana Halverson