Your Capsized Boat
You are sailing along tending to your business when all of a sudden “out of the blue” comes a storm that capsizes your boat, messes up your well laid out plans, tosses your cherished comforts into the raging seas, and leaves you feeling helpless in the grip of the storm.
Your house needs a major unexpected repair, one for which you do not have the cash. You are told by your company’s human resources director that “we are moving in a different direction and are letting you go, effective at 5 PM today.” You find needles in your child’s dresser drawer. Your spouse is found to be having an extramarital affair. A routine physical turns into a cancer diagnosis. You wake up in the morning ready to take on the world only to end the day in the neurotrauma ICU after having suffered a stroke. A loved one suddenly dies, leaving you feeling numb and empty. It is all you can do to make it through today, let alone find the strength and energy to think about tomorrow.
The psalms are divided into five books. Psalm 107 the first of the fifth book (Psalm 107-150). Psalm 107 complements 106, which is Israel’s confession of repeated disobedience and their prayer for divine favor and restoration. Psalm 107 begins like this – “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The overall theme is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord for the purpose of making his wonderful deeds (v.8) known to all mankind. This psalm repeatedly shows the faithfulness of God despite the unfaithfulness of His chosen people, Israel. It is split into seven sections, the verses below being the fifth section.
“And then there are the sailors sailing the seven seas, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observe the power of God in action. He calls to the storm winds; the waves rise high. Their ships are tossed to the heavens and sink again to the depths; the sailors cringe in terror. They reel and stagger like drunkards and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he saves them. He calms the storm and stills the waves. What a blessing is that stillness as he brings them safely into harbor!Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds! Let them praise him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation” (vv.23-32, TLB).
Amidst any storm you face, no matter how big or small, God stands with you, and you can trust that He is still at the helm. In your sorrow and sadness, God feels your every hurt, and every tear is wiped away by His loving hands.
Every storm is a call to trust God. Every storm is a call to pray to the One who can both calm the storm and calm you as you feel surrounded by the storm. Every storm is a call to give thanks to God for His faithfulness and His loving kindness, regardless of the condition of your boat.
So, what do you do when your boat capsizes?
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