I've always wondered what the response is to people who are in that situation, but no boats or helicopters show up, and they simply don't survive. How does that interact with god's plan?
Please don't take this as a "Gotcha" question, it's just something I've always wondered
I don’t consider that a gotcha question at all. There are so many examples of evil in the world so it is easy to question the role of God’s plan. I’m not the best person to ask as I don’t necessarily believe that there is some sort of master plan. I’m also not overly religious even though it may sound that way in this thread. I think that religion can give people a sense of meaning deeper than yourself- something that is sorely lacking in today’s society IMO.
As far as your question, I would recommend reading Viktor Frankl’s book A Mans Search for Meaning. It’s powerful as any book you’ll ever read and give you an insight to how at least one person persevered through the most horrific of circumstances.
Please don't take this as a "Gotcha" question, it's just something I've always wondered