A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor...at least that’s what Franklin D. Roosevelt once said. That quote ministered to my heart yesterday & it surfaced in my thoughts as I read psalm 94 this morning.
Navigating tumultuous seas can be exhilarating & terrifying all at once, & yet I wonder if a sailor leans into the scary storm because it becomes his proving ground? He wont know the depth of his sailing skills until he’s met an angry sea.
The stormy sea not only proves what he knows (or doesn’t know), but also provides perfect opportunity to grow! The things he learns under duress & the need for discerning, quick decisions can only be learned through the discipline of a stormy gale.
In the same way that a sailor leans into a storm, gleaning all he can & allowing it to sharpen his skills, so does the psalmist in Psalm 94.
He writes, “JOYFUL are those you discipline, Lord; those you teach with your instructions. You give them relief from troubled times… The Lord WILL NOT reject his people; He WILL NOT abandon his special possession.”
The seas of my heart feel a bit tumultuous as of late & last night I let myself feel sad. I didn’t quite feel joyful in the storm of emotions that followed a hard-ish phone call…& yet as I read the Word, I am comforted by The One Who has rule & reign over the storms we face. Y’all I don’t know what I’d do without The Word of God as my simultaneous rudder and ballast in life!
When doubt fills our mind, His Word gives us renewed hope & cheer! He is our fortress in the storm, the place we can hide when we need a moment to regroup.
Father, we thank you for the stormy seasons we face. They provide a proving ground for our faith to grow & a training ground to hear Your voice.They strip us of self sufficiency by reminding us of our great need for our all-sufficient God!
Guard us from the fattened complacency that grows during smooth sea times & Holy Spirit, lead our mind, will, emotions & body when traversing stormy seas, because when You do, we can discover inexplicable joy amidst the winds of the Father’s discipline & instruction.
DEUTERONOMY 4:1-49
LUKE 6:39-7:10
PSALM 68:1-18
PROVERBS 11:28
Comments