Influencers Weekly Devotional

A Storm Called Persevere (an allegory)

by

Rocky Fleming

Looking back over the seascape of my life I can see the ways my Captain has trained my hand for the tiller of this boat called “life.” There have been different conditions of the sea that have challenged what he has taught me…conditions that have both frightened and delighted me. Each of these challenges represented a choice that I was required to make as to whether I would allow established rules of the sea to guide me, or the wisdom of my Captain. Early on, I yielded to that which seemed to come easiest for me, which was to follow those established rules that had been formed by sailors who had plowed the waters of life before me. These rules are known as “Instincts for Survival, for Gratification, and for Success.” The trouble is, I have seen the results of these man made rules of the sea take a sailor down, for in following these rules, many men have crashed their ships on the reefs of uncharted waters that they had never sailed before. I have come to understand that these rules of the sea or of life, only vaguely see what lies ahead, and can never predict the changing weather that will challenge a calm water sailor. Sure, as long as there is an easy wind at our back and currents that do not fight against us, sailing our boat through life is predictable and safe. But, throw a storm at us, and especially one that goes on for a long time, and we can only hunker down and hope to survive it. Many sailors do not. Learning to sail through these storms, and even delight in their challenges will not be found in a sailing book that a mere sailor has written. No, there is only One Captain to learn this from, and that is the One Who writes His own nautical manual for the storms of life. This manual is called, The Mariner's Bible. I'll never forget how His wisdom guided me through a terrible storm called, “Persevere.” I had been on the sea for years, and had learned to seek my Captain's wisdom even in the small things of sailing my boat. I was starting to understand how to sail it the way He instructed me, for He was in the cockpit with me in the early years, and it was easy to hear His voice. I've heard many mariners who decided to trust His wisdom for sailing their boat tell me that in the early days of their relationship with The Captain theyalsohad smooth seas to sail. Like these men, I had experienced the fair weather conditions early on, but I started to sense that The Captain had purposely steered me around the rough waters until I had time to learn from His Mariner's Bible. Something told me to expect a change in the weather patterns, for life's oceans never stay static. It would be unreasonable to think that life on the ocean would not have its storms, and especially if I followed a course my Captain charted for me. When my Captain and I sailed the calm waters, we had especially close times with each other, and it allowed me to hear His troubled heart. He shared with me His concern for the many desperate people in the deepest part of the sea who were hanging on to ship wreck rubble in order to survive, but only for a while. These people had been born in this condition and would eventually die because of it. When they died, they would sink to the deep Abyss below them, and would never be heard of again unless they were rescued. I could not help but ask, “My Captain, You have been training me to go after these people and bring them into my boat and back to You haven't You?” He looked deeply into my eyes and nodded yes. He then went on to say: “You will never be taken to the Abyss below. Never fear this. But, you will have the challenges of the sea that you will always have to contend with. I have trained you to face the worst storms that will ever come your way. Therefore, I will not exempt you from these challenges, for you must face them as all people do. However, I have trained your hands for the tiller, and to follow the tack you should take when you are in your storms. When your conditions are hard to read, I have also given to you the Mariner's Bible so you can refer back to my instructions I am giving you now. When in doubt, always go to these words, and you will be given nautical instructions for every storm you will face in life. In addition, My Spirit will always be with you to comfort you, to remind you of my instructions, and to propel you along as He fills your sails. Learn to listen to Him, and maneuver your boat to catch and follow His prevailing winds. He will direct you this way. Although you will not see Him, He will always be with you. So, learn to sense His presence, and your confidence while facing every storm and condition will grow. My son, I have trained you not for your mere survival in the storms. Rather, I have blessed you with that which will give you a sheer delight in running your boat through these challenges. Learn to delight in the storms, for you and My Spirit will be about My work, for you have been prepared for times such as these.” I listened to my Captain's last orders before He vanished from my boat when I sailed to the open ocean He had instructed me to go to. At first I seemed so alone, and I felt all of the duties of sailing the boat were now on my shoulders. It didn't take me long to revert back to my old instincts to get busy, organized, and methodical. These are my old natural sailing instincts I learned before my Captain's instructions. Slowly, my old fears began to creep into me as well. There's nothing like a sailor trying to predetermine his course ahead, and then attempting to think through all the details for controlling every contingency, to reveal to him just how out of control he is with a changing sea. This out of control feeling drives fear into our soul. It was in this condition that I went to the Mariner's Bible my Captain had given to me, to remind me what to do in this situation. I scanned it and sure enough there was guidance for the conflict I was feeling. I read: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” When I read the words from the Mariner's Bible, I was reminded to go back to what my Captain had taught me rather than use the instincts I had learned before His instructions. I had forgotten that He had instructed me to get my eyes off of my boat and look around to get a better perspective of what was going on around me. I should look at the sky, the sea and the conditions. The ocean is ever changing, and I will never be able to predetermine how it will be. I can only take what comes, and face it with the new skill, wisdom and insight my Captain has given me. I have been assured that I will have His insight given to me when I seek it, and it is my constant appraisal of the conditions around me that make me sensitive to what I need to ask His help on. I'm glad I remembered this before I sailed into that dreadful storm called Persevere. The storm calledPersevere was as deadly and challenging as its name implies. It was not a short-lived storm that rolled in one day and out the next like most of them. I had been given a test with those kind of storms for training me, and once I knew that they would be short-lived storms, I even had fun with the crashing waves and the wind that blew the tops of the waves into my face. However, the storm, Persevere, pounded me unmercifully day in and day out for a long time. I could not conquer it in my own strength and experience. This forced me to consider every instruction my Captain had given me during the rehearsals for this storm. I read the Mariner's Bible from cover to cover and sought my Captain's Spirit to make sense of it for me. I sought the comfort of His Spirit by remembering that though I did not see Him, He was in the boat with me none-the-less. When I felt my boat would be swamped by the giant oncoming waves, He filled my sails so that I could power through them. I was in a long fight that required patience and long suffering, but we prevailed. We made it through, and it was afterwards that I saw what was treading water to survive, and why I had been brought through the Storm Persevere. I looked around me and saw thousands of people who were hanging onto rubble, trying desperately to keep their heads above the water. As I looked at the pathetic people who had been in this condition for so long that they had just about given up hope that there was any other way, I remembered the concern on my Captain's face. I now felt His heart for these people as never before, and I knew the purpose of the training my Captain had put me through. I had been trained to face the storms that these shipwrecked lives had to face, and to sail my boat into their waters to help survivors come to know my Captain as I do. That is why my Captain doesn't keep me in the calm waters of life. No rescue effort is needed there, and as a result we will never know our purpose by staying in a safe cove. Instead, we are trained for the open sea, and the storms that all people must face. The Captain’s mariners are shown how to meet these challenges, and in doing so, come to understand how to disciple other people with The Captain's way of doing things. The darkest of all the storms that challenge mariners like myself is one such as the storm,Persevere. It is the greatest challenge, for it seems to last so long, as it goes on and on with one pounding wave after another. But, it is also the storm that most people of the sea face everyday, and is the one we must sail into if we will fulfill our purpose as theCaptain’s mariners. We must face it, for the lost people of the sea face it … all their life. Even though this kind of storm seems to never end, it will. And when it does, The Captain's mariners are better equipped for the next one, and survivors are plucked from the sea to be sailed back to the calm waters of The Captain’s Cove. It is there the process is repeated, as The Captain trains another survivor to be His mariner. I've been sailing as my Captain’s mariner for many years now, and I will tell you without reservation that there is no place I would rather be than to be sailing my boat of life with the purpose my Captain has both trained me for, and led me to. There have been many storms that I've faced, and as long as I remain on this sea, there will be others to challenge me. But, The Captain of this boat has prepared me for them, and I do not fear what is out there. Where do I go from here? With one hand on the tiller, the other on the Mariner's Bible and my Captain's Spirit filling my sails, I sail to Only God Knows Where. But, that is what I want. I want to sail to “Only God Knows Where,” for that is the best place for the Captain's mariner to be. So, why don't you come and go with us? We need moreMariners who have been trained by the Captain to join His fleet, for there are people in the ocean of life who need to be plucked from the abyss, and to be brought back to the Captain’s Cove. When you join Him in this purpose, you will find what you've been created for, and your life will never be the same. Believe me. My life has not been the same since joining The Captain and His purpose for my life, and I can tell you it will be the same for you. Download file