This story won the Long Form Writing Award from the Society of Adventist Communicators in 2025

May 15, 1963, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., sat in the dim, cramped spacecraft. Meanwhile,  technicians, engineers, and scientists scurried around testing different components.

“How do you read?”

“All clear.”

“Green for go.”

“Roger.”

As radio chatter buzzed around him, Gordon couldn’t stop grinning. Within hours he’d leave Planet Earth for the first time, heading at turbo speed for outer space. His sealed space suit rustled against the electrodes and monitors taped to his skin as he shifted to a more comfortable position. With a long wait ahead of him he might as well take a nap.

Sitting in the weatherworn fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus heard the crowd’s clamor slipping away as the disciples rowed into deeper waters. He relaxed as the wind whispered over the flickering waves that gently splashed against the oars.

Before He knew it, Jesus was drifting off to sleep amid the wet, fishy-smelling nets.

 

 

 

 

 

A bit earlier a colleague had asked Gordon his craft’s name.

“All the good names were already taken,” Gordon replied with a grin. “But I decided on Faith 7 because I have a lot of faith in God, the launch team, and the equipment. I also want to honor my Mercury mission teammates. The seven of us are closer than brothers.”

Gordon’s colleague nodded. “Not a bad name, though I bet NASA headquarters isn’t too happy with it. It would be demoralizing if an accident happened and you lost Faith.”

“Good one!” Gordon said, laughing.

 

 

 

Winds tugged at Shadrach’s fine robe as he and his friends stood before King Nebuchadnezzar. Shadrach’s heart hammered in the echoing silence. He knew that many high-ranking officials and citizens watched them from the shadow of the king-sized golden statue, waiting to see what would happen next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly a crackly voice yelled through his communication link, making the astronaut snap awake.

“Gordon! It’s nearly time for liftoff, man!”

The astronaut chuckled sheepishly, blinking away his drowsiness.

“Initiating countdown.” The voice blasted through the speakers. Gordon straightened, glancing at the blinking dials and buttons around him. This was it. Liftoff was one of the most dangerous phases of space travel—so much could go wrong. Already there had been several delays for crews to inspect the spacecraft thoroughly.

“Ten, nine, eight . . .”

Gordon gulped, praying silently. Blood surged through his veins like rocket fuel. His heart felt as if it might explode. The rocket quivered beneath him. He thought of his family and friends watching the TV broadcast or listening to the radio commentary.

“. . . three, two . . .”

The rumbling of engines increased to a roar. Gordon felt a sudden upheaval.

“. . . one. Roger. We have liftoff.”

In the dank prison Paul’s faithful assistant, Timothy, waited with a freshly inked pen poised over the papyrus sheet.

Paul sighed, shutting his eyes to concentrate on his message. He desperately wanted to enjoy the Philippians’ friendly company, but he was stuck in prison until the authorities decided on his fate. Still, he had learned to be accepting of all circumstances.

 

 

 

 

 

Soon darkness engulfed Gordon as he rocketed out of earth’s atmosphere. Lights made blazing streaks outside the windows.

Finally the craft settled into a gentle orbit, and tension drained from Gordon’s muscles. He felt buoyant as he logged his flight details, double-checked that the systems were functioning, and radioed NASA headquarters.

His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of earth. The planet glowed several shades of blue with translucent wispy clouds floating over its surface. Moss-colored continents peeked up at him from beneath a veil of clouds. Miniature lights winked far, far below. He could gaze at the spectacular scenery forever.

But he wasn’t in space for a vacation. He unbuckled to locate his camera and experimental equipment.

Many experiments later, Gordon turned in for the “night,” becoming the first American astronaut to sleep in space.

 

 

Rough hands shook Jesus. He felt cold spray hitting His face. The boat’s gentle sways had turned into frenzied lurching as the waves played cat-and-mouse with it.

“Jesus! Jesus!” someone shouted in His ears, adding to the wind’s howling. The Son of God winced.

“Wake up! We’re going to drown!”

 

 

 

 

After waking up, Gordon checked all the spacecraft’s systems, preparing to return to earth. He was startled to see the gravity light glaring at him. That was a problem. Either the light had short-circuited or there was a critical system failure.

He immediately radioed the nearest NASA base.

 

 

 

 

 

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, is it true that you refuse to worship my marvelous statue?” asked King Nebuchadnezzar. “Come now, I’ll give you another chance. When the music plays, bow before my statue.”

The friends’ eyes met. They knew the answer they provided could have deadly consequences.

 

 

 

 

 

NASA’s message was urgent. They sent Gordon instructions on how to identify the problem.

“It looks as though the autopilot system has failed,” headquarters said after Gordon provided the test results. “You’ll have to guide the spacecraft back to earth manually.”

Gordon started sweating.

 

Jesus stood up in the plunging boat, God’s power washing over Him.

 

 

Shadrach lifted his eyes to the king, peace and strength coursing through his veins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reentering the earth’s atmosphere was even more dangerous than liftoff. If Gordon descended too quickly, friction would incinerate his spacecraft. If his readings weren’t precise, he would get stranded miles away from the landing zone.

He gulped as he did a final system check. This time there was no autopilot. He had to do his part, trusting God and the astronauts on the ground.

“All right, get ready to fire the retrorockets on my count,” someone at ground base radioed, beginning a steady countdown.

Adrenaline coursed through Gordon’s body.

“. . . one, fire!”

Tense moments ensued as Gordon fired the rockets that should slow him down to the perfect speed for reaching the landing zone.

 

Jesus’ voice rang across the waves. “Peace, be still!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three Hebrews remained resolute. “We won’t bow. Our God can save us from the flames, but even if He doesn’t, we won’t change our decision. We’ll honor God to our dying days.”

Paul’s voice rang through the dreary cell. “I hope to bring honor to Christ whether I live or die. I live to serve Christ, and if I die, the next thing I see will be His face.”

 

 

 

 

The blast was over. Gordon hit a button to detach the rockets, and waited to hear news from base.

Headquarters’ voice rang through Gordon’s headset. “Real fine. It looks as though they came off right on the money.”

Gordon let out a sigh of relief. “Roger. I think so,” he responded.

 

 

 

 

The disciples gasped in wonder as the storm instantly calmed. The moon’s reflection glistened across the tranquil blue waters, and Jesus turned to them. “Where was your faith?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shadrach and his friends stepped out of the flames in awe. Shock washed over the king’s face. “Praise the God who delivered his servants from the fire!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Timothy left Paul, he knew the Philippians’ faith would be strengthened by Paul’s comforting and inspiring words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seemed to be mere seconds later when the space capsule splashed into the ocean and bobbed on the surface, parachute deflating behind it. After Faith 7 was loaded onto the recovery ship, the hatch was opened, and Gordon squinted in the bright sunshine that reflected off the calm blue waves. Helicopters and watercraft were nearby, and crew members congratulated and escorted him onboard.

Gordon whispered a joyful prayer. Like the faith journey of so many before him, Gordon’s journey on Faith 7 had been successfully completed.