Of Sails and Rudders

I am not a sailor.


The bruising and black eye from being struck by the yacht’s boom, moments after nearly capsizing, is confirmation. But I did learn a few lessons - valuable lessons: of sails and rudders, wind and water; lessons of Spirit and Word!


I went out, for my very first sail, with a professional, and it was amazing to see how he sailed almost by “feel”. It reminded me of “things too wonderful for me...the way of a ship on the high seas” (Pr.30:19). So much was nuanced - the anticipation and deft responses to the slightest change in the elements (he could spot changes of wind speed and direction on the surface of the water, where all I saw was drowning!).


My task was to work the tiller. A sailboat is powered by the wind, yet it is the rudder that determines its course and direction. So much power pivots about such a small thing. So much power in the hands of a complete novice! Of course, our near capsizing and subsequent painful crack on the head was a result of my fumbles with the rudder!


These are some of the things that I learned (apart from needing to duck a lot lower!):


• The wind of the Spirit, blowing wherever He wants (Jn.3:8). It is the Spirit who provides the power for our lives and ventures


• The rudder (Jas.3:4) like the tongue - speech, language, word; God’s Word: written, revealed, prophesied, taught, believed, spoken, praised, prayed, worshipped with


• The power of the Spirit is hinged around the Word of God. The Holy Spirit blows with power and direction; we “harness” that flow with the Word of God, in our belief and confession


The critical moments come when we have to change course, when there needs to be a complete understanding of all the elements at the same time: wind, water, sail and rudder. So much of the exhilaration of open running is compressed into a moment fraught with danger. In that moment, it is not enough to know the technicalities of sailing - it requires the nuance, the “feeling”, the correct reading of the conditions.


There are moments in our lives, and in the life of the church, where adjustments are needed: crisis moments. We can allow the crisis to capsize us, or to catapult us on the next tack. The boat will still need sailing back to port. The principles of “sailing in the Spirit” are still valid. We just need the courage to re-align, re-adjust and to keep our Word working together with the Wind, to bring us to our desired haven (Ps.107:30).


I am not a sailor…yet!