A few days before our wedding, Denalyn and I enjoyed and endured a sailing voyage. Milt, a Miami church friend, had invited Denalyn, her mom, and me to join him and a few others on a leisurely cruise along the Florida coast.

Initially it was just that. Leisure. We stretched out on cushions, hung feet over the side, caught some zzz’s and rays. Nice.

But then came the storm. The sky darkened, the rain started, and the flat ocean humped like a dragon’s neck. Sudden waves of water tilted the vessel up until we saw nothing but sky and then downward until we saw nothing but blue. I learned this about sailing: there is nothing swell about a swell. Tanning stopped. Napping ceased. Eyes turned first to the thunderclouds, then to the captain. We looked to Milt.

He was deliberate and decisive. He told some people where to sit, others what to do, and all of us to hang on. And we did what he said. Why? We knew he knew best. No one else knew the difference between starboard and stern. Only Milt did. We trusted him. We knew he knew.

And we knew we didn’t. Prior to the winds, we might have boasted about Boy Scout merit badges in sailing or bass-boat excursions. But once the storm hit, we shut up. (Except for Denalyn, who threw up.) We had no choice but to trust Milt. He knew what we didn’t and he cared. The vessel was captained, not by a hireling or a stranger, but by a pal. Our safety mattered to him. So we trusted him.

Oh, that the choice were equally easy in life. Need I remind you about your westerly winds? With the speed of lightning and the force of a thunderclap, williwaws anger tranquil waters. Victims of sudden storms populate unemployment lines and ICU wards. You know the winds. You’ve felt the waves. Good-bye, smooth sailing. Hello, rough waters.

Such typhoons test our trust in the Captain. Does God know what he is doing? Can he get us out? Why did he allow the storm?

Can you say about God what I said about Milt?

1. I know God knows what’s best.
2. I know I don’t.
3: I know he cares.

Such words come easily when the water is calm. But when you’re looking at a wrecked car or a suspicious-looking mole, when war breaks out or thieves break in, do you trust him?

To embrace God’s sovereignty is to drink from the well of his lordship and make a sailboat-in-the-storm decision. Not in regard to Milt and the sea, but in regard to God and life. You look toward the Captain and resolve: he knows what’s best.

by Max Lucado
used by permission
From: Come Thirsty

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at: https://www.maxlucado.com/about/

RELATED READING

• God’s Peace in the Storms of Life
• God in the Storm
• God’s Provision in Storms
• Why Does God Allow Storms in Our Life?

The post In God We (Nearly) Trust appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:41

From my childhood, I have always loved watching storms out the window of a dry and safe home, mesmerized by the boom of thunder and by lightning flashing across a dark sky. But there is no way I would want to be out in a boat in the middle of a storm! In fact, while one of my favorite past times is fishing on a sunny day, lulled by the waves rocking my boat, I am ready to head for shore when storm clouds roll in!

All of my life, I have also been an avoider of anything unpleasant, if I have the choice. For instance, my husband and I have avoided conflict as much as possible in the 43 years of our marriage, hoping that problems would just eventually go away. (Needless to say, that has not been a very successful strategy!)

There were some seasoned fishermen among the disciples in the boat with Jesus! But all of them were terrified by this storm. They were also equally amazed by his control of the wind and waves. In our lives I believe that God wants us to get used to and even to welcome the “lightning, thunder and rain” as well as a rocking boat in order to also understand his power over them!

There is a song that my parents used to play on one of their LP records when I was a child that still goes through my head, even as an adult:

When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm there’s a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone!

As we all walk through the storms of life, there is someone walking beside us who controls the “wind and the waves” and who gives us a reason for hope!

Father God, I know that you have promised to walk with me through the storms of life. Help me not to be so afraid of what I cannot control, but to rest in the knowledge that I am not alone! Amen.

Let Jesus be the one who brings you peace even in the midst of a storm. Trust him even though you are afraid, and watch him bring calmness as only he can!

By Karen Woodard
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Why Me Lord? Why Not? A new perspective on being shunned or mistreated
• Beauty out of Brokenness

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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