God Of The Sea
Psalm 107:23-31 - 23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters,24 they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. 25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26 They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. 28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. 29 He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. 31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Imagine that you are planning to go on a cruise. You see two ships being advertised. One ship has been built by someone who has never built a boat before and has no technical qualifications to do so. The crew have no sailing experience; nor have they had any training. The captain is unqualified and inexperienced. The destination is unknown.
The other ship has been built by expert shipbuilders with superior engineering skills. The crew is fully trained and experienced. The captain is well qualified and highly regarded. The destination is New York City.
Which ship will you choose for your voyage? It might seem obvious; but what if I tell you that the second ship is HMS Titanic, whilst the first ship is Noah's Ark? The Titanic was thought to be the finest ship ever built in its day, but she sank on her maiden voyage and half of her passengers were drowned. Noah's Ark was built by an amateur, and the captain and crew had no seafaring experience, but it kept afloat and all the passengers were kept safe.
The difference, of course, is that the Ark was God's idea. He gave the instructions for how to build it, and He ensured that it was seaworthy. If we look at the world around us, it might seem that most people ignore God's instructions and trust in their own wisdom or the so-called expertise of secular ideologues.
As we go out on mission, let's engage in spiritual warfare, knowing that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:4-5). Let's pray that God will reveal Himself to the lost so that they will no longer be blind to the truth of His Word, but will have the faith to put their trust in Him.
Prayer
Our Father, we recognise that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against dark spiritual powers, so please help us to use the weapons that you give us to advance Your Kingdom, driving back the forces of darkness and spreading the light of Your Gospel, so that the eyes of those who are spiritually blind will be open to see Your salvation. May those who are lost call upon You as You reveal Yourself and draw near to them. In Jesus' name. Amen!
