The day dawned with a bright blue sky and warm temperature. We decided to take the boat and anchor in a secluded bay to read and swim. The lake remained unusually calm, but the significance of this was not to be understood until that evening.

We called our sons after they finished work to see if they wanted to join us. We started the boat to make our way back to pick them up from our dock, but as my husband put the boat into drive, it would not engage. I called our sons, and they said that they would launch the other boat at the marina slip and tow us back.

It was about this time that we noticed that both our phone batteries were getting low, and we had not brought cords to recharge them. The boys called us from the marina slip to say that the propeller would not lower into the water. Using video chat, my husband talked them through what to do, and then his phone died. After a quick switch to my phone, the call resumed, but immediately went dead.

By now, the sun was beginning to set. We both sat looking towards the horizon for any sign of a boat. I prayed, but felt calm, which is not my usual, natural state during a crisis, especially in the boat.

It seemed like an eternity until we saw the boat. Tow rope attached, we slowly made our way to the dock. We still had a task to get the boat released from the tow rope and into the dock without power. The calm waters remained, and we were able to complete the task. The sun had now set and we still had to take the other boat back across the lake and through the channel to the marina slip, about a 15-minute boat ride in the dark. Again, mission accomplished on the calm waters.

As I reflected on the day, I remembered that I had prayed, "Lord, send help." "Lord, help the boat to start." "Lord, help our sons to launch the boat to come and get us." As I spent time in prayer the next morning, the Lord showed me that He had answered my prayers, not in what I had prayed for, but in the calm waters and in the comfort and calmness that comes from my relationship with Him amidst the crisis. This prompted me to reflect on the first verse of Psalm 20.

Psalm 20:1 – May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. (NIV)

How often we don't see the hand of the Lord in situations! The Lord showed me through my time in prayer that we can trust Him to answer our prayers in a way that He sees the need to be. Can you trust Him to do that?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we cannot thank You enough for Your care and love for us. Help us in all situations to draw closer to You. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Julie Bowles <julieanni@rogers.com>
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
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