The Sea Is His
I love horses and that even extends to horseshoe crabs.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada where I love talking about the many ways God has blessed me, whether in my wheelchair or long-ago days when I was on my feet. Yeah, back then, I loved anything to do with horses. And perhaps that’s why, as a child, I was so fascinated with horseshoe crabs. When my family would go beach camping along the Maryland and Delaware shore, we’d set up a big tent in the sand dunes and spend weeks loving the ocean and everything to do with it. I recall big thunderstorms on the ocean when the rain would pelt our tent, the wind would blow the sand, the ocean waves would roar. And when the storm would pass the next morning, my sisters and I couldn’t wait to run over the barrier dune to see what the waves had tossed up on the beach the night before. There’d be loads of seaweed, big conch shells and huge horseshoe crabs.
The big crabs with their large shells shaped like a horseshoe would be toppled over on their backs, their undersides facing the sun. We could tell they were still alive if their claws and legs were moving. And we could tell these big crabs were trying to right themselves. And so, my sisters and I took great pity on these clumsy creatures; we’d flip them over, pick them up by the edge of their shells, and heave them back into the water. With every horseshoe crab we saved, we cheered. It was our good deed for the day. What a memory!
Now you should know that horseshoe crabs are really not crabs or even crustaceans. They are more related to spiders – and I’m sure glad I did not know that when I was a kid. Horseshoe crabs have been around long before dinosaurs, and if you’ve never seen one, I’ve posted a photo on my radio page. Just go to joniradio.org and be amazed at these strange creatures. So, why am I telling you all this? Well, if you work in the biomedical industry, you probably already know that the blood of a horseshoe crab is very unusual. Their blood is blue, and it is immensely valuable for its ability to signal the presence of a deadly toxin on or in anything that might go into your body, from an IV drug to a knee replacement. Their blood is so widely used that nearly half a million are rounded up from the Delaware Bay each year to be milked, as it were, for their blood, and then they’re returned to the sea. The blood of horseshoe crabs is especially valuable right now as it’s being used to help develop a vaccine for the coronavirus. Who would have thought? I mean, really, who?
Well, we know who, don’t we?! John 1:3 says, “Through [God] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” It means that before time immemorial, God created horseshoe crabs, and he designed them knowing that one day mankind would benefit from their amazing capacity to heal and help. Psalm 95 says that “The sea is his and he made it….” He also made everything in it to his glory. Friend, there are countless reasons for which we can praise God, and the horseshoe crab is just one. So join me in praying that God is gonna use this amazing creature to help develop a good vaccine for COVID-19. And again, if you’d like to see a photo of this strange sea creature, then head over to joniradio.org and take a look. May it inspire you to thank God that he made all things for his glory and for your good.
Visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. And while you’re there, be sure to share a prayer request. If you are feeling down and wanting to find the way up, we want to pray for you. When you have a chance today, drop by joniandfriends.org.
