Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.



But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, … He saved us.

Matthew 18:11; Titus 3:4-5



Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons

Until the mid-19th century, shipwreck survivors were left to their own devices. When the emigrant ship Johanne sank off the island of Spiekeroog in 1854, an observer wrote that the sight of the survivors was even sadder than that of the dead, as no one cared for them. At that time, beaches weren’t regularly guarded or patrolled, and information about ships in distress wasn’t shared.



Often, the residents living near the shore weren’t interested in providing assistance; instead, they waited for beachcombing opportunities to be the first to claim any washed-up goods. While ships foundered and people drowned along the German coast without attempts at rescue, England already had over 100 successful rescue stations. Finally, on March 2 1861, the “Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons in East Frisia” was founded in Emden.



In a sense, we are all stranded. Since the Fall of man into sin, no one has been able to meet God’s requirements. But God had mercy on us: His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to “save that which was lost”. The “Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons” is necessary, successful and still active. Likewise, the “rescue work” that Christ “established” through His life and death is still open to all people today.



But just as shipwreck survivors can only be saved if they allow themselves to be rescued, Christ can only save those who are willing to be saved.



Today’s reading: Jeremiah 35:1-11 · Romans 7:7-13