Influencers Weekly Devotional

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Mast

by

Bryan Craig

I love The Journey! After guiding 8 Journey Groups, including one Couple's Group, I can tell you it never gets old. A friend of mine asked me when we were going to come out with some new material to keep it fresh. I said, "You don't understand. That's like saying the Bible needs an update." I say this because all The Journey does is guide men to the Living Water, the Eternal Word, the Living God. His mercies are new every morning!

So, every time I lead a Journey Group, and we go through the exercise of writing a letter to God, using the sailing, Holy Spirit analogy, I always participate. Yes, God has fresh revelations for me as a Guide, as a man on the eternal Journey, no matter how many times I've explored Him before.

This year, God inspired me to write a poem. I share it with you. I pray it blesses you, and I pray you never stop seeking Him and His beauty!

The Mast

I’m out to sea, I know I am, for I feel so far from home.  I’m navigating new waters, from wave to wave I roam.

The sea is rough and so immense, it strikes, in me, such fear.  It makes me grip too tightly to the things that I hold dear.

I know not where I’m going, I’m not sure where I’ve been.  I know that I’m not entirely free from the ugly pain of sin.

I cannot see the shoreline, and the life I left behind.  And I know I’m on a mission for a purpose I must find.

I look for where I’m going, yet nothing is in sight.  I only see the sun and clouds and moon and stars at night.

I stand on deck and ponder life and how I got this far.  I know it wasn’t simple fate or a wish upon a star.

My restless mind works aimlessly, just looking for some task.  I think I must do some great work, though I wasn’t even asked.

I resolve myself to just be still; I fall down to my knees.  I ask the Lord to show the way, it’s Him I wish to please.

In my prayer, the waves calm down, Sun gently warms my skin.  And then a breeze comes my way like a welcomed long, lost friend.

It beckons me to lift my head and open up my eyes.  I look up toward the heavens and see a figure rise.

In my view, the wooden mast stretches toward the sky.  I never saw its shape before, and it nearly made me cry.

It formed a cross, so strong and tall, hovering high above.  In that very moment, I’d never felt such love.

In a worship moment, my arms fell open wide.  I gave my adoration to the One Who, for me, died.

In my praise, my thoughts were clear; I didn’t fear the sea.  There was no other place that my soul desired to be.

I was content.  I didn’t care; I needed nothing more.  No longer yearning for the things I left back on the shore.

In that peace, a gust of wind came blowing in so strong.  Its whistling sound struck my ear like a new praise song.

Then I saw on my boat, a beautiful new sight.  There appeared a mighty sail, so pure and so white.

It embraced the wind and billowed out, full of salty air.  It thrust the boat and knocked me down, though I didn’t care.

The wind and sail and the boat moved swiftly through the sea.  There seemed to be a smoothness in this newfound unity.

I felt as one with the Lord, a smile wouldn’t leave my face.  The Journey now had just begun; there were new dreams to chase.

I know that there’ll be storms ahead and many cares to cast.  But I will know beneath my sail, there stands that sturdy Mast.