Day 2 - Sailing Is Easy

Sailing is Easy is the title of an article I found on the internet. The writer says:

To be a competent sailor, you need three basic skills: first, you must be able to tell which way the wind’s blowing…Second, you must be able to steer accurately…Third, you must learn to recognize when a sail is properly trimmed…And that’s sailing in a nutshell. Doesn’t sound hard, does it?

Really? Now, to be fair, I left out some of the comments concerning those three steps. We’ll get to them later.

Let’s shift gears mentally and go back to the idea of catching a full sail of the Holy Spirit’s wind. Look at the first of the basic skills of sailing—you must be able to tell which way the wind is blowing. It makes total sense to me—a non-sailor—that if you want to catch a full sail of wind, which is to be desired if you want to make progress, you have to work with the wind…or perhaps, said differently, you have to put yourself in the position to let the wind carry you along.

Have you experienced one of those crazy storms where the wind seemed to be blowing from all four directions at the same time….and that it made it seem like it was raining sideways. We’ve all had some times in our lives when we have felt that same way emotionally and spiritually. So, how do we catch a full sail of the Holy Spirit when it seems like we’re being blown around and blown away by circumstances?

Take a few moments to read 2 Peter 1:12-21. Pay particular attention to the last phrase in that passage: “…they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word for the concept of “carried along” (or “moved”) literally means to be borne along as the wind in the sails of a ship.

This is the first and most important message of God concerning the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is present. We may have felt or recognized Him sometimes more than others. You may wonder if you have felt Him like others do, or even at all. But God’s promise is that He is present and wants to fill our sails—wants to carry us.

What is a situation you are in, or a challenge you are facing where you could sure use a full sail of the strength, guidance, and presence of God’s Spirit?