Boy Hero Bargains With God
News outlets the world over recently reported (January 30, 2026) of the heroic efforts of 13 year old Austin Appelbee who fought high seas, fear, and fatigue to rescue his family from certain death. One outlet reports it this way:
Austin, his mother Joanne, 12-year-old brother Beau, and 8-year-old sister Grace were on a vacation in Quindalup, Australia, when, on Jan. 30, they took their kayak and inflatable paddleboards out on Geographe Bay, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports. At the time, the waters were calm, so they left their picnic basket, food, and water on the beach.
Soon, though, the waters became rough and the kayak flipped. It also began filling with water and the family was pushed farther and farther out to sea.
Austin tried to swim, dragging the rest of his family in the kayak, back to shore before his mother sent him to go get help. She said it was one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make.
“I knew he was the strongest and he could do it,” she said. “I would have never went because I wouldn’t have left the kids at sea, so I had to send somebody.”
Austin let go of the kayak and took off his life jacket, which he said was impeding his swimming. He swam for four hours.
“I was trying to get the happiest things in my head, and trying to make it through, and not the bad things that would distract me,” Austin told ABC.
So young Austin focused on simple, childhood motivators to keep himself focused. Think Thomas the Tank Engine ("Little engines can do big things!") meets Dory from Finding Nemo. In his own words, “I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming.’”
When he finally got to the beach he still had to sprint to a phone to call for help. "I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family’s out at sea!"
“I don’t think it was actually me doing that,” he said. "It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, I kept on praying.”
Austin knew that in that harrowing situation that God was going to be the answer. He simply couldn't do this on His own. Yet in His fear and uncertainty young Austin began bargaining with God, promising the Almighty that if He woud just get him to shore then he "would get baptized" and "go to church" (which indeed he did the following Sunday).
Click here to watch his interview with ABC news.
Nothing can diminish the unprecidented bravery, strength, and determination of this young hero. And hopefully, his recognition that it was God alone who could pull him and his family through this harrowing situation will provide lasting inspiration and motivation to continuing drawing near to the Lord, not just in rough seas, but in every moment of his life journey.
Yet young Austin has much to learn about the God to whom He cried out in his desparation. God's love, grace, deliverance, provision, and protection cannot be bargained for. "If you do this for me, I'll do that for you." Yet so often, for so many of us much older and supposedly wiser than our young hero, this is our natural, knee-jerk reaction.
God's love and grace are free gifts that stem from His heart and nature, not from our devotion or good works. No amount of obedience or sacrifice can trick Him into loving us. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NIV).
Christian author and pastor, Dr. Paul Tripp notes, "Some Christians have argued that there are [indeed] bargains in Scripture in which God seems to have willingly participated. One of the prime examples is Hannah."
“She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:10-11, ESV)
At first glance, this does look like a bargain with God, and in fact, God did give Hannah a son. However, the story needs closer examination. Hannah has a conversation with Eli, the priest, “then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (v. 18)
[You will know] if you are striking a bargain with God, [if] it is only after you have received what you wanted that you experience positive emotions and celebrate getting what you wanted. Not so for Hannah. She is not waiting for the birth of her baby for joy and peace to return; she has it now.
Hannah’s prayer was not a negotiation with God to get her desire but an abandonment of her desire—yes, even a biblical one—for an even better one.
Rather than being consumed solely by her own purpose, she chooses to be captivated by God’s. Rather than attaching a happy life to the fulfillment of her own desires, she finds life in the success of God’s kingdom.
So he rightly observes:
Hannah is not negotiating with God for a son. Of course, she desires a son—a beautiful, biblical desire—but she is letting go of this desire to grab hold of and submit something infinitely better: God’s perfect, wise, and loving will for her life.
Here's Tripp's punchline ...
'Don’t stop asking God to fulfill the desires of your heart, but also never stop asking God to expose whether these desires are horizontal and self-serving rather than vertical and God-honoring. When your desires belong to the Lord, and you are fully content in him, you can experience the best and brightest of lives, no matter how he answers your prayers.'
As the Lord himself prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39, ESV).
God did indeed show up for young Austin in his time of need, but not because our young hero promised him acts of devotion. There are no doubt many, albeit metaphorical, "rough seas" in Austin's future. To meet the challenges, let's pray this young man learns and grows in his faith, laying down his bargaining tools, simply coming to rest and trust in God's great love and grace freely offered.
He's off to a great start ... what a hero!
Dig Out the Dying
Skier Francis Zuber was zipping down the tree lined slopes of Mt. Baker in northwestern Washington state when he lost control and ended up toppling into the deep powder off the trail. As he worked to right himself, he noticed a snow board protruding from a deep drift. This alone was an unusual sight. But crazier still, the board was moving!
It took him only moments to realize that someone was attached to that board, but apparently buried upside down under the depths of the drift.
He worked quickly to take off his skis so he could make his way to the stranded snowboarder, where he then began feverishly digging to extricate him. Breathless and weary, he just kept scraping at the snow looking for any signs of life. He eventually pulled out a small, yellow rescue shovel (that's one well prepared skier!) to enhance his efforts.
“Hold on! I’m coming! … Hey, you gonna be alright? Can you hear me?”
As he freed the trapped boarder's arms, he exclaimed, “Come on! Help me out! You okay? You alright?”
When he finally reached and uncovered the victim’s helmet, he said with relief, “Okay, you’re good. You’re good. I gotcha. You okay? Can you breathe?
A quiet “yeah” can be heard from beneath the helmet.
“Okay” said Zuber breathlessly, “we’re both gonna just catch our breath and then I’m gonna dig you out, okay?”
Though faint and weak, one can hear the gratitude in the simple, relieved reply, “Thank you.”
Zuber, an unlikely and unexpected hero, stepped up to rescue a stranger from certain death.
We only have such clear and comprehensive details of the harrowing rescue because Zuber was wearing a sports camera on his helmet, recording every moment.
Be sure to click here to watch the heart-pounding video in its entirety.
Like an exuberant skier, we go zipping over the rough and tumble slopes of this life, so engrossed in our own thrills (and spills), that we fail to notice the mass of humanity all around us, buried upside down in the drifts of life — dying people “stuck” in despair, hopelessness, full of fear and regret, feeling utterly alone and invisible.
No doubt that’s how the bruised and beaten man felt, left for dead by robbers on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, as he lay dying in the street. Many passed by him, walked around him, ignored him. Then one man finally noticed him, took pity, and stepped in to help.
“… and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him” (Luke 10:33b-34, NIV).
An unlikely, unexpected hero, the Samaritan, stepped up to save a dying man.
Does God call us to anything less? No! In fact, He calls us to something more. He calls us to not just “happen” upon these dying ones, but actively, intentionally, purposefully keep our eyes peeled for them, peeled for any signs of life, so that we can jump into action to offer them a life line — the good news of the Gospel.
Don’t turn a blind eye. Be a hero! Look for those whose lives are buried under the burdens of life without Jesus. And with the same feverish urgency and intensity of Francis Zuber, go dig them out!
Then listen for the breathless, relieved reply ... "Thank you."
"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15, NIV).
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14, NIV).
A Lesson from a Crash Landing
On January 15, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 collided with a flock of seagulls shortly after liftoff from La Guardia airport in New York City. The birds congested both engines, causing them to fail and leave the pilots without any power to continue flying. With only seconds to act, Captain Sullenberger contemplated a return to the airport, but realized they weren't going to make it. The only option was to ditch in the Hudson River. After following an emergency checklist with his crew, Sullenberger guided the plane down just beyond the George Washington Bridge and successfully landed in the river. An aviation expert later called it "...the most successful ditching in aviation history."
After an investigation, all were in agreement that Captain Sullenberger had done everything "by the book." Had he made an error in judgment, or failed to follow the emergency procedures, it’s very likely that all 150 passengers and 5 crew members would be dead right now. But his preparation, experience, and determination to follow procedures, even with only seconds to act, turned him into a hero.
God's Word equips us with the wisdom and knowledge we need to respond the right way when we encounter challenges and hardships. If we, like Captain Sullenberger, commit ourselves to operating "by the book," we'll be equipped to deal with life's challenges quickly and decisively, averting what could be serious consequences.