Sailing on Faith

There is nothing better or more relaxing then sailing out on the ocean in good weather. With a competent crew aboard, the boat on a straight course downwind with a cool breeze spilling in over the stern can make for some pretty comfortable ocean cruising. But sailing along California’s rocky; kelp strewn coast can also turn into a complete nightmare if your visibility is obscured. Any experienced sailor knows how quickly weather can change as clouds and fog seam to appear out of thin air making it almost impossible to see where you going.  Then what started out as a really enjoyable sunny daytime cruise can suddenly turn into an anxious fight for life in a nightmarish zero visibility blanket of extremely dense fog.  It’s paramount in times like these that the captain  have complete faith in the boat’s design, instruments and training to safely navigate the vessel through dangerous waters.

So let’s reef in the sails, slow the boat down and heave to for awhile as we consider another kind of visibility problem, that of spiritual fog. Many people have trouble believing in things they can’t see or examine for themselves. And I have to admit I can see how this can lead to a lack of faith. But believing in an invisible God requires a measure of childlike faith. The universe is just too vast and wonderful for any one man to catalog its contents and treasures. We must believe in someone larger than ourselves.

 Just as in our sailing analogy we need to have faith in a designer and His guidebook. We can begin our quest for faith by opening up the pages of our instruction manual to see how the disciples grappled with the concept of faith. Our story takes place in the days just after Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified, His body buried and placed inside the tomb of Joseph. Family, friends and followers of Jesus are dismayed at His death and mourning the loss of their Lord. Soon after the garden tomb is found to be empty Jesus suddenly appears inside of a locked room where the apostles are meeting. The gospel of John chapter 20 records that when Jesus suddenly appeared to the apostles they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. The risen Lord says to them “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.” Jesus wants His friends to touch Him and believe.

Unfortunately, the apostle Thomas was not there to witness the Lord’s appearance. When told of the lord’s appearing Thomas says “Unless I see in His hands the prints of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later Jesus suddenly appears again and invites Thomas to reach his finger into the nail prints and his hand and into the wound in His side. Without any hesitation Thomas replies “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus says to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Here we have the definition of faith spoken from the Lord Jesus himself.

The book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 defines faith for us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Michael Card, a contemporary Christian artist, put it this way in one of his songs “To hear with my heart, to see with my soul, to be guided by a hand I can not hold, to trust in a way that I can not see, that’s what faith must be!”

Jesus once explained to Nicodemus in the gospel of John chapter 3 that while we can’t see the wind or know where it comes from or where it goes we can however see the influence it has on the leaves as it rushes through the branches on the tree.  Faith in God is just like that. While we can’t touch the nail prints or see God face to face we can see His design in the world around us: the beauty of a rose, the loyalty of a family pet or the endless cycle of water as it evaporates from the sea only to condense and fall as rain on the mountains, creating magnificent rivers and streams which in time find their way back to the ocean. The last three years of Jesus’ ministry were filled with healings, miracles, signs and wonders. And just like the people of Jesus’ day we all would rather see the show. We demand Jesus perform for us when He has already created everything we see around us!  

My prayer for you all is that you have the faith of a small child, where each new moment brings joy, wonder and amazement into your life. Have faith and believe by touching Jesus through His word. Make each day special and dedicated to God. Make sure you know your vessel’s designer and that you have read the instruction manual. Ready your sails by pulling on the lines that set the sail cloth to the top of the mast. Carefully choose and chart a course for your destination that waits ahead of you in eternity and let God fill your sails with faith!