That’s a familiar ship captain’s order to the helmsman when at sea. And easy to do...so long as the sea is calm. The helmsman could steer with one finger while drinking from a cup of coffee in his free hand. But as long as mariners have put to sea, they know all too well how they could be fighting just to keep those same hands on that steering wheel when a tempest arises.And it will surely arise.
Many Christians do not realize that they have been assigned duty as helmsmen on their own “ship” by having something we call “free will”. Because of it, they erroneously sometimes fail to listen to the Captain’s orders, but try to make their way through life trying to “think” their way out of troubles, relying upon their own abilities.Many of a helmsman’s orders are already written in the helmsmen’s guide book, in which are instructions he must learn the use of the ship’s compass and all the intricate situations which may happen with wind and sea. A compass is influenced by magnetism. Our Bible is one such guide book. It is a compass revealing to us which direction we are heading and making sure our compass doesn’t get influenced by other magnetisms (evil). There are skills we must learn and memorize that will affect us when we face uncertainties in life.The story of Jesus calming the storm is one we should focus on during the days ahead. After ministering to the crowds by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus ordered his disciples to row “to the other side”. He was tired and needed rest—so exhausted that he soon fell asleep even as a raging storm began to fill the boat with waves of water. Do we not see that Jesus, (tho omniscent), was just as human as you and I—having need of our same basic physical requirements?Jesus’ disciples knew how to row across the sea of Galilee to the other side, but they ran into such a storm that they all feared for their lives—except for Jesus, who was sound asleep inside the ship. They woke Him up,”Master, don’ t you see the trouble we’re in?” then Jesus stood up and rebuked not only the wind... but their lack of faith as well. They were amazed that He had power even over the weather.Jesus is our Captain. But though we may have learned from the Guide Book (the Bible), our number one duty is to remember to call upon Him for help in time of need. He is always there when we need Him, and will give us the commands we need to follow for our safety.
When the disciples became fearful of impending doom, they woke up Jesus, asleep in the stern of the ship. We must remember that it was Jesus Himself who had given them orders “to go over to the other side of the sea” knowing the storm was coming!
“Where is God when we need Him the most? Why is He asleep? What are we to do, Captain?”
It is by the Spirit that we too can see “that Day” approaching and prepare for it. Unless you and I are totally obllivious to the signs all around us, our world is in chaos—right at this moment! The blackest storm the world has ever experienced is about to implode its fury upon our “sea” in such a way that there will be moments of exhasperation and tears at the frightful scene before us. We are to be tested as never before, and our “faith” could wilt as thoughts invade any trust and peace we might have had before.Those disciples had already seen Jesus’ miracles—they recognized his divinity. But how could he sleep while they were in such trouble?Jesus never promised that we would never have troubles, but He also promised He would never leave us and would be with us in the storm!Once, my husband and I were driving from Washington State to Alaska on the Alcan highway. Before we left Washington, the Lord told me that somewhere along that road, the devil would try to kill me, but I was not to be afraid—He would help me. I told this to all the family as we were about to leave. We had two vehicles—a van and an old truck. I was driving the truck. Midway along the Alaskan highway, suddenly the truck began to swerve and I could not control it at all. I had two of my children with me inside and I looked to my left, and it was a sheer drop off about 50 feet straight down! We were heading to it. Then I remembered what the Lord had told me...so I took my hands off the steering wheel and that old truck and trusted God to deliver us. That truck drove itself to the right hand side of the road and stopped—just where it should be when there was trouble. The van ahead stopped, and all the children and my husband came running. What had happened? The back tire rim had literally collapsed in two! My youngest declared outloud: “Mama, the devil really DID try to kill you!” We were delayed for over an hour before we could find another rim and continue on our way...praising God for His protection.In researching about the helmsman of a ship, I found this article, which provides us an interesting answer for the days ahead:
A Helm Tradition: Marking a Boat’s Steering Wheel
In the days of wooden ships and canvas sails, sailors manning the helm etched grooves into a spoke of the ship’s wheel perpendicular to the deck (called the king spoke) when the rudder was straight. The grooves served a very practical purpose: at night or when continuously maneuvering, the helmsman could quickly determine that the rudder was amidships simply by feeling for the grooves on the king spoke.
Throughout centuries of waterborne transportation, the tradition of marking a boat’s steering wheel to indicate an amidships rudder has continued. Mariners developed an intricate, decorative knot, called a Turks head, which was tied around the king spoke, and used in the same way as spoke grooves, to indicate an amidships rudder. Though the Turks head is still found on boat wheels today, a steel turning knob is now more common, positioned in the same place as the king spoke grooves or Turks heads. In addition to indicating that the rudder is amidships, the turning knob provides considerable mechanical advantage when turning a steering wheel. Though mostly out of sight on a boat, a well-maintained steering system provides the means for effortless and responsive maneuvering and a way to safely get out of harm’s way and onto a great day on the water.
How interesting it is to see how simple everyday things can tell us a spiritual truth: The KING’S SPOKE was a mariner’s way of maintaining proper steering according to the Captain’s spoken instructions. THE TURKS HEAD was simply a knot, fashioned after the turban worn by Turkish men, which was tied around the special King Spoke, so that no matter the situation,the helmsman could find which spoke on the wheel was the one which pointed the ship in the right direction, ...even in the darkest night or during the fearest storm.
“Steady as she goes...”
But remember. When we struggle or are unable to maintain the course and even if our hands can’t seem to find the King’s spoke, He is with us always. Go to Jesus, wake Him up and he will calm the sea, and us as well.
“Peace be still”...
MARY E ADAMS