Follow Him
By Julie Lockyer, Receptionist/Scheduler
Not too long ago my husband Bob and I went on a whale and sea mammal excursion during a cruise to Alaska. I was hoping to see humpback whales and sea otters, as well as other animals. We came upon a humpback whale fairly quickly. I enjoyed watching it, but then after a while, I was ready for the captain to move on. We finally got on our way and the captain said he was going to take us to a place where we would see other types of sea mammals. I was so excited!
Not too long after we headed out, he saw another humpback whale and slowed down so everyone could see it. It dove down pretty fast. I thought, “Yay, let’s move on!” But the captain decided to try to go out deeper to see if the whale would come back up. We got further and further away from land. I was not happy. I sat there and sulked! I was pretty irritated and was getting anxious. This was not the direction we were supposed to go! The captain spotted another whale, this time a teenage humpback, and I thought, “So what! I want to see otters!” I kept trying not to sulk and just enjoy the trip, but it wasn’t working.
All of a sudden the captain spotted three orcas! I was up out of my seat in a flash! Who can say they have seen orcas? They were beautiful! It was such a wonderful experience!
God reminded me that He is the Captain, and we need to follow His direction. Sometimes He changes the course on us, but it’s for our good. I was so happy the captain of the ship changed direction. Had he not, I wouldn’t have seen those beautiful whales. It was an amazing trip and one that I will always remember.
How many of us find ourselves sulking when life doesn’t go our way? We wallow in our anger or frustration (like I did on that trip). We want to go in our direction and sometimes close ourselves up to God. But the apostle Paul reminds us to:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
Can you imagine what would have happened had Mary not followed what the angel Gabriel had told her about becoming the mother of the Messiah? Or if Joseph had not listened to the angel who spoke to him in a dream to take Mary as his wife? (Matthew 1:18-25)
When our plans change, let’s keep following the Lord. Let go and trust God, our Captain, and rejoice in life’s journey.
Prayer: Lord, I pray that when I start to get anxious, I will remember to turn to You. Help me to be in prayer at all times and lift everything up to You. Help me to remember all the times You got me through my trials and brought me to a better place. Thank You, Lord, for always being there for me, leading me, and guiding my ways. Amen
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