It looked like the perfect time to go. The guys loaded up their gear and prepared the boat for a trip out to sea. The water looked clear and calm. They had all their gear filled and ready. Everything was a go! They gave us their boat plan and we waved them off.
Usually when Daddy and the big boys go out on the boat, I plan something to do with the little two. We had decided to play at home this time. Only, to our surprise, the big boat pulled back into the dock. My first thoughts are always "What is wrong?!?" when plans suddenly change, so I ran out on the porch to see what was wrong...everything had seemed ready to go just a few minutes previous. Well, the waters were not as they seemed and were too rough, so they did a u-turn and came home. It's not what they wanted to do, but what they needed to do...and that was to wait.
I think of all the times God prepares us and gets us ready for something and we think it's Go Time and we rush out and go...only to discover the waters weren't quit ready enough. How many times do I too quickly say Yes to doing something, even if it is something God is preparing me for, and I have everything ready to go and yet the waters weren't ready yet? I had not waited to make sure everything was ready, even though I was. We get so easily wrapped up in ourselves thinking "I am ready and I can do this" only to find out it was not Go Time.
Wisdom and self-control u-turn us and brings us back home when we find ourselves headed into rough waters. Foolishness says, "I don't want to wait, I can do this anyway." The boys could have continued out into the rough waters. It would have been what they had prepared for and wanted, but it would not have been wise. They would have put themselves at risk, and possibly others. Instead, they used their discernment and made the wiser decision to return to refuge and wait for the waters to also be ready. They were prepared and ready, (and eager I might add), yet the waters were not.
Some lessons are learned the hard way, and they had previously had to learn this lesson the hard way. Thank God no one was hurt and all the guys returned home safely, but they took a gamble at being able to manage the high seas one afternoon. Swells began to come over the buoyed boat with 2 divers in the water and one left to Captain the boat. The Captain became terrified as the dark clouds rolled in with waves growing in strength and numbers knowing that there was no way to get to the guys below and warn them of the approaching storm. Neither could he leave and return to safety. When the divers surfaced, the swells and rains were so thick, they could not find the boat right away. That was frightening. At the same moment, all 3 people on the water were in fear and in danger, all because they thought they could handle it. A lesson learned the hard way.
As we live on mission for God, may we always be prepared and ready to go out into the waters, and act wisely, discerning and exercising self-control to know when the right time to go is. May we never go out foolishly or selfishly, but wisely and timely.
"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Philippines 1:9-11
God, we know that you are continually shaping us and preparing us to walk in obedience to the call you have placed in our lives. We pray for discernment of when we need to step out of the boat by faith and when we need to rest at the shore as you prepare the waters for our journey out. May we never allow our eagerness and zealous hearts to jump out ahead of Your divine appointment and cause us to miss it or make a mess of it. We acknowledge that Your ways are not our ways and we rest trusting in Your perfect timing in our lives. Holy Spirit, lead us to the path of peace and righteousness for Your Name's sake. May our foot steps along the journey lead us beside the still waters which You have prepared. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy when we forge ahead. And Lord, when we go, as we go, we pray a hedge of protection around us to keep us from storms that come quickly upon us. When we find the waves swelling above us, we ask for Your protection and refuge from being overcome. We trust You knowing that You have also prepared us for this and You are not caught by surprise. Holy Spirit, continually keep us focused on Christ's Way, in His perfect timing, to go where He leads, having faith and discernment that He is above all things and will lead us to the paths of righteousness and is working all things for His glory! Remind us to be wise and not foolish. Open our eyes to see when we are heading out into waters that aren't prepared yet, and give us self-control and wisdom to wait. May our zeal for You be gathered and prepared for the divine appointed time, not as we want, but as You need. We praise Your Great Name. We thank You for Your presence. We thank You for Your grace. We thank You for Your love over us. Be our Refuge, our Strength and our Leading, in everything, always. Amen.
" And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 "For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; 6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 8 "Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. 13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. 14The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 21 "The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. 24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 26 "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 32 "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;" 2 Samuel 22
I know, WOW!! A 3 ft piece of wood. Impressive right? It lays at the front of my garage, just inside the opening. It's not a fancy board. It's cut up and has a few splinters and even has visible marks running up and down it. And yet, there is is in my garage, probably the most valuable thing in the garage in my opinion. Okay, the lock on the door would really be the most valuable/important thing in the garage, but this would be second!!
Beaten up, marked up and even small, it is a crucial piece and it's precise placement is hugely important. The fact that it is a solid piece is what makes it work. Without this small plank of wood, there would be serious problems in the Dickerson Garage!!
So, what does it do? As you can see in the photo (sorry not great quality-I took last night with my phone as God shared this with me), it rests beside the tires of the car. It marks the place of boundary. It holds a place a value. It is a guide. It helps show the way in. There is another board at the front of the garage holding another place of boundary, resting just on the other side of the front tires. Without these boards, as small and insignificant as they may seem, we would have some serious damage. These two boards are strategically placed in our garage to set the boundary for whoever is driving the vehicle as they maneuver it carefully into the garage. The side board is a guide in. It provides protection and help for all the many other belongings to be sure they are not crushed upon entering. The front board lets us know when we have reached the place we need to stop, keeping us from crashing through the wall just a few feet away. As the driver backs in, the focus is on the two boards and nothing else. Therefore, it is crucial the two seemingly insignificant boards remain in their pre-determined placement. Otherwise, things will go bad quickly!!
Last night as we were pulling in the Jeep, I almost panicked when I didn't feel the front board. And it looked like we were about to crush some important stuff!! CAREFUL!!!!! WAIT!!! Let me check the board....ahhh, okay, just one more 1" and we would have reached it. Oh how we need and count on those two boards.
Last night, the Lord showed me how crucial having boards in my life are, for all of us. Something that guides me in, shows me where to center myself, where to stop, how far I can go, where my focus needs to be, something solid that if I bump up against it, I will surely know I have gone off course. The Lord God is just that boundary-giver. He strategically places "boards" in our lives to be our guide. The Holy Spirit is our most important guide, " But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:26-27
Through the Holy Spirit, we are given other boards which may be found in our disciplines: how we follow and obey His commandments and rules, the discipline we have in our prayer life, study times, priorities, where and how we serve; and even through our relationships with family, friends and the world. There are "leaders" in your life, those who have gone before you and those who walk beside you today. God has not left us aimless. If we will just take our eyes off everything around us, focus on the solid boards which set our boundaries, we will find ourselves centered in to the place we need to be...a place we were created and purposed to be.
What boards surround you? Emotional boundaries? Physical boundaries? Spiritual boundaries? If you cannot think of any, or you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, you just might need to stop "driving" and find those boards before you crush something of value, including yourself!
God has a plan for you and has provided a way for you to accomplish it. Set your eyes on Him and find your place of true rest, protection and provision. Obedience brings blessings!! Trust Him and do not be anxious!!
"So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them."
Hebrews 13:6-9
