Many years ago, my husband and I were sailing our boat in the Mediterranean Sea. We set off from Morocco and headed to Gibraltar.
We had three sails up, the main, the jib, and the mizzen. Morocco has a large mountainous area on its north shore. When we cleared the mountain, we were at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. There was a tremendous wind force coming off the ocean. We had far too much sail up to keep control the boat.
I steered the boat into wind so my husband could take down the large jib sail. The wind was so violent that it ripped the cleat off the boat. This cleat kept the corner of jib attached to the boat. The jib had a large metal ring held by the cleat. Now that it was loose, the sail whipped around and hit my husband in the head. With blood running down his face, he turned to hand me his glasses. He told me to run the boat in circles so he could untangle the sail and get it stowed below. Using the boat's engine, we went round and round over large waves. Needless to say, this made us both quite ill. My husband finally got the sail down. He trimmed the main sail, making it smaller, so we could maintain control of the boat using the engine. The engine died. The wind took over and blew us further into the Mediterranean.
My husband spent many hours working on the engine. At three thirty in the morning, the engine finally worked. Gibraltar was now out of reach, so we headed to the nearest country, which was Spain.
Were we praying on our boat, you bet! We wanted to be rescued. We wanted to be safe. Our prayers were answered. My husband and I survived the storm and the rocky boat.
In life, storms rage on, touching all of us. They shake us to our core. Trouble and evil find us. We often feel like we are out in the ocean, tossed around by terrifying waves. Our boat no longer feels secure. We fear the storms and the violet seas of life. Just like the disciples feared when they were in a boat in the midst of a storm. Our fears rise up when the ocean waves roar. We wonder if we will capsize and be swept out to sea.
The good news is that God lives at our core. He thrives at our core. He has the strength to defeat all enemies. He has the strength to bring us back to life. He is our shelter. He is our Creator and the origin of all love. He brings miracles where there is hopelessness. He is our life, our breath, our everything.
When we lift our eyes, above the waves, above the turbulence, we find the One who can save us. He reaches down and pulls from the deep. He asks, "You are trembling with fear. Why do you doubt? Where is your confidence? Do you still not believe that I AM Almighty God? If you take my hand and stay close to My side, you will learn how to walk on water, instead of drowning in your troubles. Do you believe? Will you trust Me? Will you put your life in My hands? Only in My arms, can you experience unfathomable peace. I am the Living water, and I am essential for abundant life. Please come walk with Me."
