Grampa’s stories #6

When I was a child, my dad used to tell me accounts of life and goodness that I still remember to this day. He always shared uplifting stories with me, many of which I have saved. One I really enjoyed and think about often was the story about the praying sailor. It’s about a young man who was drafted as a sailor into the Navy. Each night before bed, he was inclined to say his prayers just as he had been taught to do throughout his life. But it was awkward and embarrassing to kneel on the hard floor, especially when he still had to climb up multiple beds to get to his bunk. Nevertheless, he persisted and faithfully prayed every night before bed. He had to endure a lot of ribbing from the other sailors and came to be known as the ‘sailor who prayed’ by the other members of the ship’s crew. 

Nevertheless, he faithfully prayed each night and morning. Everything went swimmingly until one day the warship was attacked. The enemy shot a missile, which made a direct hit on the bow of the craft. The ship began taking on water, and the sailors frantically looked around, trying to decide what they should do next. Many of them fell to their knees and began to pray for their own safety from this terrible mishap. Fire and smoke were everywhere. Meanwhile, the sailor who prayed continued working to address the problems: repairing the ship, succoring the wounded, and deploying the necessary life rafts.

Later that evening and during the days that followed, the other sailors asked the sailor who faithfully prayed why he, of all people, had not also called on God during the attack, especially when the ship was hit and their safety was in grave jeopardy. 

He said, “I had already prayed. Then was the time for me to do my duty.”

Prayer gave him the courage to move forward when needed. 

That principle is true for us in our lives as well.