He has been called “The Man Who Saved the World”. And he was a Russian sailor in 1962. I remember the time, the Cold War was at its peak. The United States found out that there had been placed Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, which meant that they were easily in range of any East Coast city and others around the U.S. The U.S. demanded that the missiles be dismantled and taken back to Russia. When they refused, President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around Cuba. That meant that naval ships of both nations would be armed and ready for combat which could easily lead to nuclear weapons being used to kill unknown numbers of people around the world. The end of the world as we knew it. The Russians had deployed four submarines to the area each with a nuclear-tipped torpedo powerful enough to destroy an entire fleet or annihilate a city. The submarines had no contact with Moscow or any knowledge of negotiations that had been going on. The Soviet submarine B-59 was patrolling and the U.S. Navy dropped non-leathal practice depth charges to try to get them to surface. It took three of the officers on the sub to launch the nuclear weapon. Two agreed to launch, but the last officer necessary Vasili Arkhipov…said “No”. He argued that they had no confirmation of a real attack…and without knowing the truth, they could actually start a nuclear war on false information. He insisted that they surface and re-establish communication…and he stood alone. The weapon stayed in the sub. They surfaced and found that there was no war, and Arkhipov’s courage and judgement may have saved the world from destruction. The courage of one man or woman to stand against a multitude when they know that others are wrong in their choices…is always hard. In the book of Ezekiel, God tells him that he looked for someone who would rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. He searched for someone to stand in the gap…but found no one. In every generation, in every land, God is looking for those who will stand for his righteousness, and say “No” to the voices that live and demand sinful thought and action. God is looking for people who will rebuild the wall of righteousness that only this Jesus of the Bible can bring to a family, a church, a nation and to the world. Is that easy? No. It never was and never will be. But it is the right thing before God and those who stand with him will one day be called “hero” in a place we have never been. God found no one in Ezekiel’s time. Let him find multitudes who will stand in the gap for Christ in this age. Let it be you today. Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Ezekiel 22:30 NLT “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.
Remember I’m praying for you…
Ezekiel 22:30 NLT “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.
Remember I’m praying for you…