Recently, we took a much anticipated cruise to Alaska. Before booking, we researched and studied. In theory, it was a trip six years in the making, so we were ready to do it up big! Due to our schedules, we opted for a September voyage, the end of the Alaska season. Ultimately, we chose our departure port, our route, our visiting ports, our excursions, and even our meal schedule.
On day seven of our 10-day adventure, we got news of a change in our itinerary. Unbeknownst to us, a storm had been brewing between our current location and our home port. The weather was clear for us to continue to our next day’s destination, but if we continued there as planned, we’d find ourselves in the middle of a fully developed storm on the way home. The decision had been made that we would skip day eight’s port, and head home immediately.
Proverbs, 16:9 TPT says “Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there.” We were experiencing a course correction. We were disappointed, but grateful.
God quickly began to show me the spiritual applications of the current situation.
We were indeed thankful that, even as we were blissfully vacationing and disconnected from real life (as much as one can be) someone else was standing at the watch post. Habakkuk 2:1 NASB says “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what he will speak to me.” If we will stand on our watchtower, Holy Spirit will indeed show us what He wants to say. But we must be looking and listening.
From there we began our altered course for home. We were avoiding a bigger storm, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. The ride home was safe, but choppy and challenging. Often this is true. We’ve been shown the correct route, but it’s not without its difficulties. I learned a few things from this ride.
1. When things get rocky, grab onto something solid. Holding onto the people around me may bring temporary confidence, but unless we are connected to a sturdy source, we could both be falling for the floor. My something solid is The Rock. Isaiah 33:6 NASB1995 describes the Lord as “the stability of your times.”
2. Keep your eyes on the horizon. Shifting seas can bring on a queasy disorientation. Keep your focus on the unmoving horizon, the goal of the journey. When we move our gaze to the wind and waves around us, we find ourselves like Peter (the disciple who briefly walked on the water in Matthew 14), quickly sinking. The waves around us are distractions; they yell loudly, but they are momentary. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2 NASB1995.)
3. You can’t always trust your feelings. After days of rocking with the rhythm, your brain begins to adjust; this is called “getting your sea legs.” The problem comes when you return to land and yet you still feel like you’re on the boat. You’re swaying and feel unsteady, but you’re actually on dry ground. Sometimes feelings are just feelings. We don’t deny their existence, but we don’t make decisions based on them. Go past the feelings to the root; what is the truth?
Sometimes Holy Spirit shows me a needed correction, and I decline, and sometimes I may delay. Often times when I find myself in the middle of a storm, I can reflect and see where I missed the opportunity for change when it was revealed. But sometimes a storm is just a storm. Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble, but to be of good cheer because he has overcome the world. (John 16:33) He doesn’t promise that we can sidestep every storm, but He does promise to never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
For now, let’s position ourselves on the watchtower to see what He will say. And we will ready ourselves to hear and respond, keeping our focus on the Rock of our salvation.
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, and whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Psalm 18:2 NLT
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