The Plimsoll Line in our life.
1 Corinthians 10: 13 “ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
The Plimsoll Line
10th of February is called Plimsoll Day, named for 19th century politician and ‘Sailor’s Friend’ Samuel Plimsoll, to remember his great campaign to save and improve seafarers’ lives. The most significant achievement of this campaign was the Plimsoll Line, a line painted on the side of a ship to show how low in the water she should sit when safely loaded. It’s an innovation that’s still used today. It has saved thousands of lives and spared seafarers the anxiety of being sent to sea in overloaded and unsafe vessels.
God Hears and intervenes
Similarly God has set a Plimsoll Line for each one of us. He will never burden us with more than that. When we come across trials and tribulations in life we should not lose heart. Hagar and her son Ishmael were left wander in the wilderness, out of water and with nowhere to go. Hagar put Ishmael, under the shade of bush and walked quite a distance away so as not to see him die. God hears both Hagar crying and the boy crying, and he intervenes once again. He assures her, he reaffirms his promise to her, and he provides water for them in the desert. (Genesis 21: 16-19). The same God is with us today in all our situations. Both Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 declare that God is the same always and never ever changes. He is always good, always loving, always all-powerful. No matter how this world changes around us, we can trust God is consistent. He is the same yesterday, today, and Forever!
Testimony
We must understand that God will not test us beyond our ability. During my Ph.D in 2011 at Coimbatore, I accepted the Lord completely. While I was a Hindu, I just knew the name Jesus Christ. Once I accepted the Lord, I was introduced to a prayer group in the University Hostel, and I used to worship and pray along with few sisters. My Ph.D guide created lot of troubles to me. She never used to sign my papers, reports etc on time. She used to keep it on her table without signing for days together. She used to ask me to take her M.Tech classes instead of her, which I did so. Most of her administrative work she would give to me. Four years passed by but, she never allowed me to publish a single research paper.
My subject was unknown to her which she informed me during my admission, hence she sent me to a Professor in other college in Coimbatore and asked them to correct my papers. This took long time as they too had their own students’ papers. Finally when I was ready with 3 corrected papers, my guide took a long time to give consent for publication. Simultaneously, I used to argue with my guide that she has wasted my 4 years. One day a friend told not to argue with her, but make peace with her. Hence I used to pray for this situation daily and then meet her and try to make her understand my situation in an amicable way. I stopped arguing with her. At last by God heard my prayers and she gave consent for publishing the papers. The next year she accepted signing my Thesis and gave a date for the Viva Voce examination. To all of our surprise, my Thesis that was sent to a Malaysian University and IIT Gowhati came with best comments by the examiners and without any errors.
When I think of my Ph.D days in Coimbatore, I can come only to one conclusion that God has a Plimsoll Line for each one of us. And He does not test us beyond our ability. He made a way for me in that wilderness (Isaiah 43:19) and my thesis was lauded by the examiner on the day of the Viva Voce.
Proverbs 23:18 says “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”
Many a times we keep murmuring over our situations thinking that God is testing us. But God never tests us. He is the only one God who makes a way to come out successfully from our trials and tribulations.
Prayer :
My heavenly Father, I bow before you with all due respect and reverence and offer our obeisance to you. Lord no matter what I face in my life, I shall keep trusting you and be rooted in your words. Nothing is really too hard for you. I believe in you as you are my only hope. You always have the best thing for me and you never disappoint me. I thank you for all the miracles you have done in my life so far. Lord, help me to grow more in your word. In Jesus name I pray , Amen.
Sol. Dr. S.Sri Lavvanya Priya