Adrift @ Sea
A lifelong boat and ocean enthusiast and a Naval Architect
by training, Stephen Callahan had designed and built his boat, the Napoleon
Solo, by hand. He had sailed countless
hours in races and competitions around the globe. He designed and built boats for others,
taught boat design and lived aboard boats of all kinds. By nearly anyone’s measure, Mr. Callahan was
an expert who had earned the right to be considered a competent and gifted pilot
of the small/single passenger sea vehicles he loved so deeply.
Yet all of these things aren’t what make Mr. Callahan
famous. His fame comes from a turn of
events that caused him to be alone, adrift @ sea, for 76 days in the spring of
1982. Following the sinking of his ship
and armed with only a handful of items he’d rescued from his vessel, the
Napoleon Solo, he floated alone on a life raft, using his extensive knowledge
and experience to survive against all odds.
I do not know if Mr. Callahan is a man of faith, but can speculate based
on a quote of his, describing the star filled night sky as “A view of Heaven
from a seat in hell”. What I do know is
that our God works miracles, and in my opinion, Mr. Callahan’s survival story
is one of them.
Our scriptural reference today is from James 1:5-8 which reads
“If you don’t know what you’re doing,
pray to the Father. He loves to
help. You’ll get His help, and won’t be
condescended to when you ask for it. Ask
boldly, believingly, without a second thought.
People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from
the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”
Mr. Callahan survived because he relied fully on the things
he knew to be true. Chaos, panic and
absent minded worry were going to get him nowhere. Instead, he developed a routine that he
followed daily; exercise, navigation, prioritizing problems, making repairs,
fishing for sustenance, improving systems and building up food and water stocks
to weather any unforeseen emergencies that might arise.
What God is telling us in the section of James that we read
today is that we too must rely fully on what we know to be true, but not our
earthly knowledge; the truth of Jesus and his complete and full forgiveness of
our sins which purchased our salvation.
But it’s not as easy as just believing.
We need to build a daily habit of exercising our faith, navigating the
challenges of life, prioritizing our problems, repairing the holes in our life
as we identify them, taking care of our earthly and spiritual needs, improving
what we can and planning for a future with Christ in Heaven. This foundation will serve to support us when
tough times come. This specifically is
what James speaks to today. When
troubles come, pray! When you’re lost,
pray! When you’re sad, angry, confused,
lonely etc… pray!
But don’t JUST pray;
Pray without worry. Pray with diligent
focus and confidence. Don’t worry about
your God’s ability to fulfill the prayer.
In life, we will spend time adrift @ sea. The wind whipped seas will toss us about. We will feel as though our circumstances are
out of control, and we hope this time is figurative and not literal, but the
words of James, and the example of Mr. Callahan, serve to remind us that our
God will never fail us. Our anchor is
the unshakable God. In this we
confidently pray.
God,
I'll drift away from You and your Word.
It's not a maybe - it's a for sure thing.
I do it all the time.
But blow your foghorn and bring my compass back onto the true course.
Your ways, Your Way.
Amen.
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