God is in control

“The barque of my life sails along
Amid darkness and shadows of night,
And I see no shore;
I am sailing the high seas.
The slightest storm would drown me,
Engulfing my boat in the swirling depths,
If You yourself did not watch over me, O God,
At each instant and moment of my life.
Amid the roaring waves
I sail peacefully, trustingly,
And gaze like a child into the distance without fear,
Because You, O Jesus, are my Light.
Dread and terror is all about me,
But within my soul is peace more profound than the depths of the sea,
For he who is with You, O Lord, will not perish;
Of this Your love assures me, O God.
Though a host of dangers surround me,
None of them do I fear, for I fix my gaze on the starry sky,
And I sail along bravely and merrily,
As becomes a pure heart.
And if the ship of my life sails so peacefully,
This is due to but one thing above all:
You are my helmsman, O God.
This I confess with utmost humility.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1322

Everyone has seen the bumper stick, “God is my Co-pilot.” Every time i see one, I think, “how wrong is that?” If God is the co-pilot of your ship, then you believe you are in control and can handle the storms and guide your life along the best paths. If God is your co-pilot, you are in the wrong seat. God needs to be the one in control of the course of our life.

When the storms of life hit, only God has the power to calm the waves, only God sees the course through to the end. Only God has the full map to set the course of life.

One of my favorite verses is from the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus calms the storm. The disciples tried their best to fight through the storm, all while Jesus slept in the back of the boat. Finally, exhausted, they woke Him and asked His help.

So often in life the mind believes it can handle the rudder and guide things. The loudest song in Hell is “I did it my way.” We think we can do this, we tell God “I got this”. Only when we are at wits end and exhausted do we turn to Jesus and ask Him to take the wheel.

Do you believe God is your helmsman and Pilot? Do you give Him total control from the beginning? Are you willing to let Jesus lead and guide?

Giving Jesus control is not simply a matter of sitting back and doing nothing. Rather, turning to Him in abandon is an act of the greatest trust. That trust, when all seems chaotic and overwhelming, opens the door to His peace and keeps you safe and still no matter what comes your way.

Starting with God as your pilot gives one a heart of peace. The soul knows that God is in control and has nothing to fear – even death loses its sting.

“A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:37-41