LETTING GOD IN THE BOAT
John 6:18-21
A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Our afternoon hunt had started out beautiful. Warm, sunny and calm. Harris and I had driven to the top of purgatory ridge and got out to listen for bull elk. After only a minute or two a bull bugled just over the edge of the ridge. Soon another bull answered just a couple hundred yards away. I set Harris next to an old log pile and I backed off 50 or so yards behind him.
After a couple minutes I did my best impression of a lonely cow elk and got immediate responses from both bulls. Their next bugles were much closer, they were coming and soon should be in range. It was then that I felt a cold damp breeze hit me on the side of the face. I turned to my right and saw a scary site. Just off to our west was a black cloud bank that stretched from the ground to very high above us. It's was rolling and boiling right towards us.
I yelled for Harris telling him, "we've got to get off this mountain". He thought I was crazy, why would we leave two bulls at under 100 yards. When I pointed off to the west he understood and came running. By the time we closed the doors on the truck it was a torrential downpour. We slid the 3 miles down to the bottom of the mountain on hairpin switchbacks, holding our breath all the way. When we got to the bottom we still have 6 miles of messy, muddy roads back to camp.
After about a mile we got into a small valley but couldn't climb out. Our treads were filled with mud and there was a stream running down the road under us. I stopped now and prayed. When I was done praying I tried once more to drive out but only slid sideways. It was raining so hard and the cloud cover had brought darkness far earlier than normal, which made it impossible to see. I decided to climb out and assess the situation. As I started to step out, I quickly noticed that the road had washed out alongside the truck and it was 20 feet straight down right under my door. We quickly jumped out the passenger door and got under a Pine tree to try and stay dry.
We called on the radio for help and a ride. We used a come along to hold the truck to a large ponderosa pine for the night and hitched a ride with another guide. It was a close call, but God had it under control all along.
Jesus' disciples had been rowing in high winds and very rough seas and getting nowhere fast. It was dark, they were no doubt frightened and struggling to reach their destination, struggling without success.
I find it interesting to think on this and compare it to my life. I'm sure those that have a personal relationship with Christ can understand that we so often struggle to achieve a goal or to accomplish something... But, we've left God back on the shore, we didn't even invite Him in the boat with us. However, when we finally ask Him for help... to get into the boat with us... the "rowing" is easier and the goal is achieved. We are safe. This is part of God's grace. I always wonder, why did I leave shore without Him in the first place? He should be in my boat all the time.
Max Lucado once wrote;
"The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: 'grace'."
God's grace comes into play so often in our lives, most of the time we don't even realize it. It's when we stop long enough to invite Him into the situation that we are dealing with, that we see His grace at work. Or it might be after we've made it through a rough time or event... we see where God's grace was at work. If we invite Him into the boat of our daily life with prayer we will see and feel His grace much more often and our rough spots smooth out. We may face just as many struggles, but we'll get through them with greater peace.
The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 91:4, "Under His wings, shall you trust and find refuge."
When trouble comes your way, stay in that place of refuge in God. Invite Him in your boat, It will be a place of safety from any storm and every enemy.
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