Living in the Spirit

June 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

Some went down to the sea in ships,
   doing business on the mighty waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
   his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
   which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
   their courage melted away in their calamity;
they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
   and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
   and he brought them out from their distress;

he made the storm be still,
   and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they had quiet,
   and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
   for his wonderful works to humankind.
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
   and praise him in the assembly of the elders. –Psalm 107:23-2

While visiting a friend in Washington D.C., I was invited for my first ride on a sailboat. My fellow sailors raced sailboats, so I was with folks who knew the Chesapeake Bay and how to sail. I, of course, immediately got seasick when one of the sailors advised me to focus my eyes straight ahead on the horizon. She also had some over-the-counter seasick medicine I took. My stomach settled quickly, and I enjoyed the ride. Suddenly something snapped above. My sailing companions discussed what to do about what seemed to be a minor problem because they were so calm about the situation. They did head straight for the shore, and all were pleased that we arrived safely. The mast had cracked. Just as the crew pulled into the dock, the mast broke a few feet from the top.

I learned a lot from that experience. For example, seasickness could be quelled by focusing on something at a distance. It works for car sickness, too. The experience reminded me of Jesus’s Disciples on the boat with him asleep when a storm came up, and they panicked*. The Disciples, too, were at their wits’ end. They, too, sought the Lord’s help, and he calmed the sea. These stories are relevant in our lives now. People are stressed to the point of panic. Anger pours out in shootings and domestic violence, slugfests on airplanes, and the inability to face the reality of our situation. This Psalm reminds us that we serve a mighty God who can cause storms and stop them. In times like these, we need that Savior, and we need to open our hearts and minds to the Lord’s guidance to lead us to still waters.

Prayer: Lord, help us recognize you as our horizon where we find the calm needed to weather the challenges we face. You called us, your Disciples, to be the light of the world all the time but especially in times like these. Grant us the courage to model our lives after your example. Amen.

*See Mark 4:38-40

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.