James 3:4 – A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. (MSG)

We enjoy the lake that is in our city as much as we can. Having a boat is an added bonus in our lives, and we are very grateful for the time we get to use it. On one particular day, we were sharing the lake with about 25-30 large sailboats that were also enjoying the summer’s eve. We were finishing our time on the lake and getting ready to go back to the dock, when I noticed a boater in the middle of the lake. He appeared to be waving to boats as they passed — boats that seemed unaware of his waving and which continued on their way. I expressed concern to my husband, so we made our way over to this boater.

As we got within hearing range, he said that his battery had gone flat. We brought our boat carefully alongside him, and my husband offered him our battery cables to give his boat a boost. I was holding our boat so that it would not bang about into his boat as they went about giving his boat a boost. It took a few minutes, and then his engine began to run. We stayed alongside him for a bit longer to make sure that it was going to stay running.

During this time, we were all focused on our task at hand, so much so that we failed to notice the sailboats with which we were sharing the lake. As I looked up towards the horizon, there were two very large sailboats coming straight towards us. Both had sails full of wind and were coming at very fast speeds. They had been watching us and had adjusted themselves so that they both passed us, one on each side of our boats. Had they not been aware of us, it could have been a terrible disaster.

How often I am so focused on one situation that I fail to recognize what is happening around about me. For me, it is usually in times of conflict or distress that I become so caught up in the area of concern that I fail to recognize that God is with me, until something or someone points it out to me. We always need to be aware of the spiritual context of our situations and know where our eyes are to be fixed, as the Scriptures clearly tell us:

Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that You do see everything and that You are in control in the storms of life. Even on a day of boating, You are there with us. Your Word tells us that You will never leave or forsake us, and we are truly grateful for that. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Julie Bowles julieanni@rogers.com
Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca