Exaudi, Deus

A Nigerian cook who incredibly survived three days at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean was saved by prayer and Divine intervention, he says. 

Thumbs up for God

Harrison Odjegba Okene was trapped in freezing waters at a depth of 100 feet under a capsized tugboat for 72 hours.  Wearing only his boxer shorts, and rapidly running out of oxygen from an air pocket, he had only one bottle of Coca Cola for sustenance.  He could hear large fish – shark or barracuda – eating and fighting in other parts of the vessel. 

For three days, he kept reciting aloud Psalm 54, commonly known as the Prayer for Deliverance, which his wife had sent him earlier by text.  “Save me, O God, by thy name...”

Startled rescue divers from the Dutch company DCN Diving were expecting to find only corpses when they came across Harrison, in shock, but still alive. 

All the other 11 men aboard the Jascon 4 died. 

Dramatic video footage of Harrison’s rescue was released by the diving company and has since gone viral, with more than 932,000 hits on YouTube in just 2 days. 

A great faith story to gladden hearts.  

Psalm 54 is the prayer of a just man under persecution.  It was written by David at the time when the men of Ziph tried to betray him to Saul.  It calls upon Divine justice and foretells prophetically of the punishment that shall fall upon the wicked.  Read the full psalm here (Douay-Rheims translation). 

Hear, O God, my prayer and despise not my supplication.