Wrecked Ship or Lifeboat
Now you are a wrecked ship, broken at the bottom of the sea. All your merchandise and crew have gone down with you. Ezekiel 27:34
No, this not about doom and gloom but I know there are times when we might feel like we’re looking up from the ocean floor. Life seems like a shipwreck and we cry, rant and rave. But then we remember that we have access to a safety device that can weather any storm. Heidi Gaul (Mornings with Jesus) shares her heart-felt story.
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After enjoying a weekend at the coast, my husband and I headed home. As I drove along the highway, we spotted a large roadside sign. Its words read, “Life is a shipwreck. Sing in the lifeboat.” We exchanged a glance and smiled, reflecting on the previous several months.
Together, we’d weathered a shipwreck of our own. After Dave suffered a life-altering accident, we slowed our pace. He needed to be taught a few basic skills and learn appropriate emotional responses. Speech challenged him. Like a metaphorical bird, words perched at the tip of his tongue, then flew away before he could capture them.
I became versed in the true meaning of caregiving. Caring and giving. As I looked after Dave’s needs, I saw in his eyes a new level of love—richer, more complete. Just as his trust in me grew, my faith in Jesus deepened.
I felt panic as waves crashed against our boat of the life we’ve made for ourselves. For a time, I wondered if the ship Dave and I sailed was sinking. But when I cried out, Jesus was there. He wasn’t asleep because God never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). He calmed our waves and guided our vessel to a safe harbor. This tempest hasn’t drowned our faith. It strengthened it (Proverbs 10:25). Yes, we are singing in the lifeboat—singing praises to Jesus, our Captain, and we always will.
FAITH STEP: Are you sitting in a lifeboat? Ask Jesus to settle the waves of your life and find rest on His calming seas. He’ll never let you sink!
Glorious Father, thank You for my seat on the Lifeboat. Thank You for being a loving, caring, and vigilant Captain. Help me not to forget where my seat is located. AMEN.