Abandoned at Sea

“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone’.” [Genesis 2:18]

Alexander Selkirk was a quick-tempered, hardened sailor and pirate. In 1703, he joined William Dampier on a privateering expedition, plundering Spanish merchant ships in the Pacific. After a quarrel with the captain over the seaworthiness of their ship, the hotheaded Selkirk demanded to be left ashore on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez, 400 miles west of Chile. However, when Selkirk realized that none of the crew would join him, he had a moment of regret and begged the captain to be let on the ship – but the captain refused. So Selkirk was left alone with a few basic supplies: clothes, bedding, flint, a pound of gunpowder, bullets, a hatchet, a knife, a kettle, his navigation tools, and a Bible. What Selkirk thought might be a few days until the next ship came by stretched into nearly four and a half years.

The first months were a difficult adjustment. The nights were terrifying: the bellowing calls of sea lions, tree limbs breaking in the frequent storms, and the hordes of rats gnawing on his feet as he tried to sleep. Selkirk was depressed and even contemplated suicide. He was almost glad to be hungry because it diverted his thoughts. However, in time, Selkirk’s mood improved. He kept busy building a hut, catching wild goats to eat, and taming the feral cats (which eventually helped with the rats). In addition to watching for passing ships, Selkirk spent time singing hymns, praying, and reading his Bible. He later remarked that he was a better Christian on the island than ever before, or, as it seems, after. In 1709, Selkirk was rescued by another English ship. It was then that he learned the fate of his old crewmates: the ship sank soon after leaving Juan Fernandez, most of the crew was killed, and the rest were captured by the Spanish.

As the poet John Milton wrote, “Loneliness is the first thing which God’s eye named, not good.” God knew that we would need human companionship and gave us marriage, family, and friendship for that purpose. But during those abandoned-at-sea moments when marriages fail, families misunderstand us, and friends desert us, we can find the Companion that Selkirk found – the One who promises “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).