Hope.

I once owned a house in the Southern Highlands. Its address was Shackleton Street, Robertson, named after the famous explorer. One of the most thrilling polar expeditions ever undertaken was that of Shackleton and his men. Few tales are as harrowing and inspiring as the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917. Shackleton and his crew set out to be the first to traverse the Antarctic continent from sea to sea, but what unfolded was a story of survival, resilience, and an epic rescue mission that defied all odds. It also reminds me of a far more significant rescue mission that is still coming for this world.

The expedition’s ship, the Endurance, departed from England in August 1914, heading for the Weddell Sea. However, their journey took an unexpected turn when the ship became trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea in January 1915. For months, the crew endured freezing temperatures and crushing ice that slowly crushed the Endurance. Shackleton made the difficult decision to abandon ship in October 1915 as the vessel finally succumbed to the relentless pressure of the ice, sinking into the frigid depths of the sea.

Now stranded on the ice floes, the crew of the Endurance faced an even greater challenge – survival in the harsh Antarctic environment. They set up camp on the ice, salvaging what supplies they could from the sinking ship. Shackleton’s leadership and unwavering optimism were crucial during this period, as he maintained the spirits of his men.

One night, in pitch darkness, the ice split under the tent in which Shackleton himself was lying. He jumped up just in time to save himself from falling into the icy water. In the morning he saw that the piece of ice on which he had been resting was now several metres away across a deep green pool. Another time when the ice split under the camp, one of the party did fall in, all wrapped in his sleeping bag and was rescued just in time to save him from the jaws of a killer whale.

As the ice continued to drift, the crew embarked on a gruelling journey in lifeboats and sledges towards uninhabited Elephant Island, which they reached in April 1916 after five months of hardship. Although they were now on solid ground, their situation remained dire. Elephant Island was a desolate place, far from any shipping routes, and they knew that rescue was uncertain at best.

Shackleton, driven by an unwavering determination to save his men, decided to attempt one of the most daring rescue missions in history. Leaving most of his crew behind on Elephant Island, he and five others set out in a small, open boat on a perilous 1300km voyage across the treacherous Southern Ocean to reach the inhabited island of South Georgia, where a whaling station was located.

This epic journey was a test of physical and mental endurance. They faced monstrous waves, freezing temperatures, and the constant threat of capsizing. After 16 days of battling the elements, they miraculously reached South Georgia. However, their journey was far from over, as they were on the uninhabited side of the island, separated from the whaling station by treacherous mountains and glaciers.

With incredible determination, Shackleton and two of his men, set out on a 36-hour trek across the island’s interior, using only a small boat compass to navigate. Exhausted and frostbitten, they finally reached the whaling station, where they were able to arrange a rescue mission for their stranded comrades.

After three failed attempts due to sea ice, Shackleton finally returned to Elephant Island in a Chilean navy ship on August 30, 1916. Miraculously, all 22 of his men had survived their incredible ordeal. For nearly four and a half months the 22 men on Elephant Island had somehow managed to exist on a freezing spit of sand at the foot of an ice-covered cliff. By piling up boulders from the beach, packing snow in between, then putting the two boats upside down on top, they made a hut five and a half metres long by three metres wide by one and a half metres high. Here they all slept (on beds of stone), lived, cooked, and ate, for all that long time! Outside, icy gales raged, while great waves often flooded the beach.

Why did they endure? Because they believed in their leader and hoped against hope that he would return. Though he had gone on such a dangerous journey, they felt sure he would come back to rescue them.

The one in charge of the marooned men was Mr. Wild, a faithful and fearless man. Largely because of his constant optimism the whole party kept up their spirits. “From a fortnight after I had left,” wrote Shackleton in his story of the expedition, “Wild would roll up his sleeping bag each day and remark, ‘Get your things ready, boys, the boss may come today.’ And sure enough, one day the mist opened and revealed the ship for which they had all been waiting and longing and hoping for over four months.”

Thus, it was hope that saved them. Had they lost hope and become discouraged they could never have held on. They would have fought among themselves and become sick and died. But these courageous explorers kept hoping against hope, and deliverance came at last.

So must it be with us. We must never lose heart, never give up hoping. No matter what happens in our lives, all will be well at last.

Shackleton’s journey to save his men reminds me of another great rescue plan. “I go to prepare a place for you,” said Jesus, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John14:2-3NLT

While He is gone, we must stay on our “desolate island”; but we must keep up our courage, and ever be looking for his return. Then some day He will come back and take all who have waited for him to their heavenly home.

We may wonder why He is so long coming. We may fear that He has forgotten us. But He cannot and will not forget. He loves us too much for that. Jesus will keep his promise. We can “hope against hope” in him. He will return for us; and His coming may be sooner than we think. Like Mr Wild, on far away Elephant Island, let us say with each new morning, “Get your things ready, boys, the Master may come today.