He Preparest a Table!

During our time of ministry in the small fishing village of Pelican in Southeast Alaska, the opposition and trials we often experienced were seasoned with times of vindication and victory. One of those times of “vindication” came during our second year on the Island as the busy and beautiful days of summer in the Southeast began to yield to the fall colors and cooler weather of the coming winter.  In our first year ministering on the Island, we had met the captain of one of the ferries that made monthly voyages to Pelican. His name was Captain John and he had been praying over Pelican for several years before he came to find us there renewing the ministry that had been closed up for about ten years. One day as he ferried the “La Conte” up the inlet and past the church building situated on the hillside just north of the village, John saw the work we were doing on the old New England style church building. Soon we were acquainted with John and became good friends. From that day forward we would always keep a lookout for the “La Conte”, knowing we had a friend and fellow believer in its captain.

      On that fall day John had made a ship to shore phone call, letting us know that he was on his way to Pelican. In that call, he told Betsy and I to put on some nicer clothes and be down at the docks when the ferry arrived.  Whenever the ferry came to town, it was a looked forward to event for the entire village. They would line up along the dock, waiting for the ferry to tie up so they could come aboard, walk around, and then eat in the ferry’s galley.  That day was no different, as Betsy and I approached the docking area on the breakwater, thirty or forty of the town locals, a majority of the village, were all lined up to board the ferry.  Betsy and I stood in back of the crowd, not sure exactly what the captain had in store.

        When the ferry was securely tied to the pilings, several of the crew members began to set up the gangway onto the breakwater, which was just a large earthen levy on the southern end of the village. As they were securing the ramp and placing several small poles with velvet ropes to guide the crowd safely into the ship, the purser stepped out into the wide passageway.  He loudly asked if “Larry and Betsy Mehaffey” would come to the front of the line.

That year had been a particularly difficult year with persecution coming from several of the towns people (some of that persecution is noted in other testimonies I have shared). Betsy and I were quietly standing to the rear of the crowd. Upon hearing the purser’s invitation, we slowly moved past the waiting crowd and up to the front of the line. Once there, he warmly welcomed us as if we were old friends, as the crowd impatiently watched and waited. Once we were at the front of the line, the purser removed the heavy velvet cord across the gangway and invited us aboard. We noticed that immediately after doing this, to the dismay and I am sure anger of those waiting in line, he replaced the cord.

            We were ushered onto the ship and directly into the company of the captain who stood waiting. He too welcomed us with such friendly smiles and familiar embraces that Betsy and I quickly recognized the preferential treatment we were receiving.  Here was the most important man on this ship and he was treating us not only like royalty, but as family. He guided us up to the helm, describing the ship and giving us a mini first-class tour of all those things he deemed important on the ship. After our brief tour, the captain then led us down a few flights of stairs to the galley. By this time the crew had opened the gangway so that the townspeople could board the ship.  When we arrived at the galley, the entire crowd stood impatiently behind another velvet cord that blocked their way into the highly anticipated treat of eating aboard ship.

      The captain guided us up to the front of the line and removed the cord so that Betsy and I could enter. Once again, he replaced the cord behind us, preventing the waiting crowd of townspeople from entering. Standing at the front of the long food bar that displayed the various meals available, two of the ship’s crew stood waiting for us. Each was formally dressed, and each displayed a white napkin draped over their bent forearm. They were obviously presenting themselves as waiters would in a fine white tablecloth restaurant. We were ushered down the food line with a waiter carrying each of our trays. We were asked which foods we preferred, and as I noticed later when I saw the serving given to the crowd that would soon follow us, we were given far greater portions than the rest of the crowd.

     When we had filled our trays and come to the end of the food line, we were guided to a table. This table however was unlike any other in the dining area. It had a white table cloth on it with silverware set out at each of our places.  The captain followed, and we were each seated at the table as the waiters took our dishes off the trays and neatly places them at each setting. Once they had done so, both waiters backed off about 6 feet and stood quietly at attention on each side of the table, ready to serve our every need. At the end of the meal, a number of delicious looking deserts were brought to the table from which we could choose.

     While we were eating, I remember looking up and seeing the others now seated in the dining area. Only after we had been seated had the crowd of townspeople had been allowed to enter the galley and purchase their meals. During that dinner, many of this crowd continued to look over, obviously in envy of the oversized portions and preferred treatment we were receiving at the curtesy of the captain and his crew.  Through this dear brother in Christ, the Lord was honoring us before a company of townspeople, many of whom seemed to be those who had particularly persecuted and mistreated us.  The preferred treatment we received that day reminded us that regardless of those who hate the light of Christ and oppose anyone who strives to bring it into this world’s darkness, that “if God be for you, who can be against you”. 

Jesus said “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Although we have learned to trust in that reward that awaits the faithful in Heaven, we also have, (a few times in our lives), been blessed with vindication such as this. We were even later able to laugh at the irony of that day when the Lord reminded us (in a spirit of humor) of the words of the Psalmist that say “He will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies”.  I can remember how those weeks and months following that day seemed to temper the behavior of some of our village antagonists as they had witnessed the obvious honoring of Betsy and I by the esteemed captain and his crew. When the Lord chooses to honor and vindicate, even the world often takes note of whom He bestows His divine favor upon.