Psalm 121:1-2 – I look up to the mountains — does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! (NLT)

I feel the winds of God today;
Today my sail I lift,
Though heavy oft with drenching spray
And torn with many a rift;
If hope would light the water's crest,
And Christ my bark will use,
I'll seek the seas at His behest,
And brave another cruise.
       – Jessie Adams (1863-1954)

It's the end of the sailing season, and it has been a long summer of looking up. I am the Main Trimmer, which means that I look up to ensure that the mainsail is contributing everything possible to our overall speed and performance. That means keeping an eye on the halyard tension, the leech and the luff, the cunningham and the boom vang and the draft and … the list goes on and on. But the crucial point is that I need to keep looking up. The rest of the crew have their duties and concerns, and they often ask about the performance of the mainsail in relation to the jib and the spinnaker and all the rest that contribute to boat speed. We work together in close cooperation, but it is my job to keep looking up.

Actually, that was my job for 40 years in full-time Christian ministry. I worked with many people on many projects both inside and outside the church. Upon reflection, it was always my task to "look up", no matter what was happening, to remind others where our true source of strength and power comes from. I had to depend on that wind, that breath, that Spirit to direct and empower any and every thing that I did in the church and in the world around me.

As you begin another day, I invite you to trim your sails by looking up and realizing that, after all you do, it is God's "ruach" (the Hebrew word for wind, breath, or spirit) Who will empower you throughout the day. Happy sailing!

Prayer: Living God, our refuge and strength, even the wind and sea obey Your voice. Send Your wind to take us on our journey of faith. Fill us with great faith, and save us from the surging seas, so that we may look up and be guided by You. Through Jesus Christ, Who sails the seas with us, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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