“Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” Psalm 25:4-5
We waited patiently outside the harbor for him to arrive. One thing my wife Judy and I have observed over and over again during our adventures while cruising is the necessity of a harbor pilot. The bottom line seems to be that no harbor pilot means no entry into the harbor. Now this might seem a little unnecessary or odd because our ship is already captained by a very experienced captain. He or she always has many years, and often decades, of experience navigating their ship around. Surely in all their years of captaining they have encountered every contingency. But wait there is more.
Not only do they have all this experience, most of them have plotted the same course over and over again. That means that they have sailed into the same harbors over and over again. Surely they know more about the harbor than anyone. I guess you could argue that surely the captain of the ship doesn’t need a harbor pilot but you would be wrong. You see, no one knows the harbor like the harbor pilot. He knows every nook and cranny of the harbor. He knows every current and even how the wind blows and affects the ships inside the harbor. He is the definitive expert.
I suppose that is how it is with us and God. Let’s be honest. Don’t we often think we know enough…and dare I say more…than God? After all, we would argue, who knows us better than ourselves. Who knows our paths better than us since we sail it–walk it– every day all of our lives. But trust me on this one–the One who created us knows our in’s and out’s better than we ever could. Having Him as our “Harbor Pilot” is not only a great idea–it the absolute best idea.
As much as we think we know it all–we don’t. Like harbors have hidden dangers so our lives, even our walk about daily lives, have dangers we cannot see and therefore are not prepared for. So why not invite God to board your vessel and guide you into the harbors of your life. There is no situation He cannot handle, no harbor He does not know. He is patiently waiting to guide you. Like the captain of the ship has to surrender control of his vessel so we must be willing to surrender our lives. It’s a great thing to know that no matter what, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne