In the winter of 1995, a fishing boat began to sink in rough, cold waters off Vancouver Island, west of British Columbia, Canada. The two men on board quickly moved to a life raft that was tied to the sinking boat by a nylon rope. Unfortunately the rope was tied so tightly, they could not untie it. As the fishing boat listed more and more the men knew they couldn't reboard. Neither man had a knife to cut the raft free from the sinking ship. They knew that the raft would eventually go down with the ship. They were in severe danger of drowning unless they could cut the rope.

The two men began chewing on the rope, having faith that there would be enough time until the ship finally sank. They took turns chewing on the rope. Their jaws were exhausted and one man lost a tooth in the process. They chewed steadily for more than an hour. They finally chewed through the rope a few minutes before the ship sank. They were later rescued by another fishing boat. Had the men panicked they would have drowned. Their calm thinking and strong teeth saved them. 

One of the most common problems pastors have to deal with in ministry is panic. People become fearful when the wind is against them. They become anxious and make unwise choices. They are afraid and do not trust that God is with them. There are times when we too have to improvise believing that we will endure.