The Answer for Weathering Rough Seas.

June 21, 2023

My wife and I, accompanied by a daughter and her husband took an Alaskan cruise years ago. One of our excursions involved whale watching. Just so happened our view looked like this for most of the trip. Our boat captain decided part of the way out that the water was too rough and cut the excursion short.

We did get to see a few whales and there’ll be a future post on that, but today’s post is about weathering the rough seas.

I’ve been blogging about hope now for four years. I began by challenging myself to write one post a week based on a photo I’d entered into a photo-a-day challenge I took back around 2013. That lasted a little over three years. Then I began thumbing through other photos I’d taken over the years and allowed God to help me select a photo and a message.

Sometimes, and more recently than in the past, I get the sense that my process for writing my posts is met with something like the weather we experienced on our whale watching excursion.

I’m excited to begin the process and early into the process, all I can see is the bow of the boat going up and down and waves crashing all around me. It’s as if, not only can I not get a good look across the water for whales, I can barely stand, having to hold onto the rail with all I’ve got just to keep from bouncing across the deck.

Maybe you feel that way, too.

Could be you have big plans and for some reason, you’re having trouble realizing them. Maybe you’ve set aside money, time, or other aspirations just to do this big thing and wham a wave crashes into your boat and instead of taking the perfect photo of a whale cresting the water, you lower your head and ride out the weather.

What do we do about this?

I may have shared before that one of the tips for getting someone to read your blog post (if they can ever find it) is to title it with the promise of a list. Things like “Five ways to…”. Or “The top ten sure-fire tips to…”

I don’t have a list for you.

I only have one suggestion for you (and for me).

The Answer for Weathering Rough Seas. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

Psalm 107 is a psalm for anyone facing struggles. The psalm specifically calls out those who are weak and weary travelers lost in the desert, prisoners in darkness and bondage, sick sufferers on the brink of death, and overwhelmed, storm-tossed sailors.[1]

I’d like to highlight for us the words of hope for that last group. Words that encourage those sailors to seek the Lord when weathering rough seas.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired harbor. (Psalm 107:28-30, NASB)

While on the whale watching trip, I had no concerns for getting back to shore safely because I trusted the captain. I trusted him even more when he made the decision to not go farther out on the water that day.

By the same token, I have no concerns about God’s ability and willingness to rescue me from whatever I’m experiencing at the moment.

This psalm gives me hope and I pray that you experience a similar hope for your situation.

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[1] https://indycrowe.com/2020/12/02/charles-spurgeon-on-psalm-107-how-pain-and-problems-lead-to-prayer/