I was raised in a family of fishermen. As long as I can remember we fished out in the Everglades along the many canals. We fished from bridges and from the banks of both fresh and salt water. We also have had a boat for as long as I can remember.
My brother got his first boat when he was a teenager and now he is a commercial fisherman. All this to say, the ocean and bay are not strangers to my family.
When I was in college, my brother and I were fishing off the Florida Keys and the boat stalled. No matter what he did, he could not get the motor started. It was getting dark and there was a storm coming. One the things he kept saying was that he did not know where we were, that we were lost.
Now, that made no sense to me at the time because we did know where we were. We knew which Key we were fishing off from. I said, “We can’t be lost if we know where we are.” That really helped him regroup. What he really meant was he did not know the water depth, location of shallow reefs, or where, if there was an emergency, we would get to safety.
I had total and unconditional faith that my brother would handle the problem, and all would be well. I was not worried about the storm or the oncoming darkness. I knew that my brother was in control and I had nothing to worry about. His knowledge of the sea, and the Keys, as well as his boat, would see us through. The one thing he lacked at that time was faith that God would guide him and give him wisdom, and that is the one thing I prayed that God would give him.
I am reminded of Jesus asleep in the boat when the storm arose. The Disciples were worried and eventually woke the One who could save them. Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and calmed the storm. Jesus was able to prove to them who He truly was.
Our faith in God should be the same. We may not know how a situation is going to turn out. It may be horrible and painful or it may be a small thing that is just bothersome, but we know the One who has all things under control.
We are told to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us. The book of Hebrews says, “Faith means being sure of things we hope for, and knowing something is real, even if we don’t see it.” (International Children’s Bible)
If our faith is based only on what we see, or based upon what our outcome should be, then it really is not faith.
We did make it out. We swam the boat to shallow water where he could work on the motor. The storm bypassed us and he was able to make it into water he knew. We did make it to the docks after dark but he knew where he was, followed the lights and landmarks and got us home.
It is a story we still talk about, how my faith in him as an experienced fisherman and faith that God would see us through. You aren’t lost if you know where you are.
Pastor Greg