The waves crashed, the sailing vessel rolled; but all hands were on deck when the shout was heard, “Thar She Blows.” A whale was spotted! The crew took to their longboats, oarsmen rowed frantically in pursuit of their prey. Once harpooned, the whale pulled its hunters furiously, spinning the longboat wildly in the tossing sprays of the sea until he “turned up on his back.” For these strong seamen the sea was rough and the voyage long.

This was life aboard the Charles W. Morgan, a whaling ship launched in 1841. The Morgan is still afloat, docked at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. I had the chance to visit the ship, to explore the decks, to try to fathom the rugged dangers of life at sea for the whalemen.  

I was reminded that storms aren’t fun, either at sea or in everyday life. Sometimes we struggle. The gales of life seem to overpower us. We panic. We fear we are sinking. But, when life gets stormy, we learn lessons that we would never learn if life were always calm. As we cling to our Lord our faith grows, we learn patience and compassion,

In Luke, chapter 8, we read that Jesus used a stormy sea to teach His disciples about faith. After a long day of teaching, Jesus climbed into the boat to go to the other side of the lake. While He slept, a squall came down the lake. The boat was being swamped. The men were in great danger. The disciples frantically woke Jesus saying, “Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up, rebuked the wind and raging waters, and the storm subsided. All was calm. “Where is your faith?” He asked. In fear and amazement, the disciples asked one another, who is this that even the winds and the water obey him?

You can trust Jesus in the storms of your life. You may be afraid – like the whalemen tossed in the sea or the disciples frantic in the raging waters — but Jesus will hang on to you. He will still be there with you. He loves you. He loves you unconditionally.

Posted by Judy in July 2017