Have you ever had some of those times in your life when ...
... you didn't know which way to turn?
... every choice left to you was on the scary side?

I read of an interesting map that is on display in the British Museum in London. The writer explains that it is an old mariner's chart drawn in 1525 outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored.

  • "Here be giants!"

  • "Here be fiery scorpions!"

  • "Here be dragons."

Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800's. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map: "HERE IS GOD."

How many times are our lives like that map to the early mariners? We sail through waters which seem filled with many dangers. Fear of the unknown becomes very real to us! Sometimes it seems that we are in the middle of a great and stormy sea, our boat is about to be broken apart, and we don't know which direction to go. It seems that "Here be Giants! and "There be fiery scorpions!" and "Near be terrible dragons." Our fears and our adversaries take away our peace of life everywhere we turn.

Matthew tells us that some men in a situation very much like the one I just described forgot something very important:

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!"
And Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. (Matthew 8:23-26 NLT)

Jesus' disciples forgot the same thing that we often forget.
You see, Jesus' disciples forgot the same thing that we often forget; "Here is God!" He is in the boat with us when we are going through the fearful tempest, but we forget God's greatness, God's graciousness, and God's power. Matthew continues his story of Jesus by saying, The disciples just sat there in awe. "Who is this?" they asked themselves. "Even the wind and waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:27)

When is the last time you just sat in awe at the presence of Jesus? If you haven't done that recently, maybe it's time you did! Maybe it's time you call out to the only one who can calm the storm in your life! King David knew to call out to God in such times. Long ago he wrote, "I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies." (Psalm 18:3)

When is the last time you called upon the Lord for help?

When was the last time you spent time in his presence?

When was the last time you spent time seeking God with other people who are "in the same boat"?

Maybe it's time that each of us realize that we are all in the same boat — that each one of us is dependent upon God to help us make it through the storms of life. We can't make it alone, but we can make it when we all pull together and let the Lord still our storms ... for after all, "Here is God!"