Lost His Legs

“‘Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!’ he said. ‘Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?’ And David would not drink it.” 2 Samuel 23:17, NIV.

Lobster fishing in one little village in the Pacific Rim comes with a great cost. Men dive as deep as 20 meters (over 65 feet) with nothing but a compressor pumping air through a hose. One morning, one of the lobster divers was brought to the village witch doctor. He had come up too quickly from a dive and had lost feeling and use of his legs. He’s fortunate; many of the divers die in accidents like his.

Villagers believe that angry spirits harm the divers, which is why injured divers are taken to the witch doctor. Still the young men continue to dive for the lobsters, despite the risks. Lobster diving is seen as daring and brave. The men get less than a dollar per lobster for their risk. When one of our workers was offered a lobster, he thought of the crippled man and replied, “No thank you.”

Pray that:

Workers on this island will be able to teach the divers a safer way to gather the lobsters, while at the same time share the depth of God’s love for them.

Spiritual fear on the island will be overcome with the peace of God that comes through faith in Jesus.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.