Seas and Ships

Seas and Ships 

Collin Leong.  Jan 28, 2013

I've always loved the sea and somehow its infinite space and the sound of the waves always inspire me when I want to be alone and think. My family recently went on a 4-day holiday cruise on board a ship that’s 880 feet long with 1,600 or more passengers. It’s modern, nice and comfortable, but to experience the real sea I would have preferred to go out in a old style sailing ship, similar to the mock up version we slept overnight in at Halong Bay back in 2006.

Vietnam’s Halong Bay (left) is the definition of serenity and beauty worth its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The area has over 1,600 limestone islets that rise up imposingly from the deep waters like giant guardians of the bay.  



Fishermen and traders live on floating platforms found near some of these islets, making their living from the mainland and from the tourists. 

In our boat, there were just a few family rooms below deck to accommodate a small number of guests. In the morning I woke up early hoping to catch the sunrise but instead it was raining softly and the islets were veiled with mist which just made the place feel more mysterious.

In my college days in the USA I also loved to explore light houses. They were always situated at stunningly beautiful places such as by the sea cliffs and small islets, buffeted by foamy white waves and habituated by thousands of sea birds. 

My favorite ones were near Maine, New England. The people in that region depend on the sea to survive, or at least used to generations ago. The shores are also very rocky and hence many light houses were built, usually near to quaint and sleepy fishing towns with nice elderly folks and great breakfast! Now that’s the kind of place I’d like to retire in, up on a cliff and down by the sea! Yeah, keep on dreaming!

I can't help but feel that Jesus loved to be near the sea too. His ministry began when He summoned Peter and Andrew whom he found by the Sea of Galilee (technically a lake), casting their nets as fishermen. He taught by the shores and often escaped the crowd by getting into a boat and sailing to the other side. To me, Ships and Seas in the Bible bring to mind three subjects: Distress, Faith, and Hope.

Distress… 

Firstly, the sea, or generally "deep waters" typically represent distress or troubles in our lives. "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters," sang David after God delivered him from King Saul who was bent on taking his life. David said this about his time of desperation: "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me." (2 Samuel 22:5, 17).

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, New England

Don't you feel like that at times? I do! Being "under" the water fits the feeling of drowning or helplessly drifting in an open sea, afraid of unknown dangers that lie beneath, and not knowing whether a rescue would come. Sometimes our struggles are consequences of our own sin and failure to live by God’s precepts. We follow our own greed and pride which get us deeper and deeper into a trap, and God had to bring us into deep water in order to wake us up. Remember how God had to literally throw Jonah into the sea because he was heading the wrong way? But sometimes too, God allows difficulties and trials to come into our lives so that our faith can be tested.

Faith…

There was one night when Jesus’ disciples were out in the lake of Galilee and so furious was the storm which came up that these seasoned fishermen were terrified to death. Meanwhile Jesus was sleeping soundly below deck. After being woken up by the panicking men, He calmly commanded the winds and waves and they became still. Then he said to the speechless disciples, "Your of little faith, why are you so afraid?"

The "12 apostles", Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

Similarly, when Peter tried to walk on the water and started to sink, Jesus reached out to rescue him and then said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 



The sea represents life's uncertainty, fear, oppression and depression but when we have faith in the right person, He will hold us above the waves.

Both Paul and James used "waves" to represent the lack of grounded faith. Paul urged believers to mature and cease being infants in Christ, "tossed back and forth by the waves." (Eph 4:14). James likewise wanted Christians to mature and ask for wisdom, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:6)

New England

Sadly there will be those that the Bible says will be swayed by the world, stop believing and stop obeying - they are in fact referred to as those who have "shipwrecked their faith." (I Tim 1:19). Paul probably recalled his literal shipwreck experience off the island of Malta. He remembered that during the storm, they first secured the ship with an anchor. But when the storm grew so vicious that it threatened to tear the ship apart, they let go the anchor and lowered the sea anchor instead. The sea anchor does not hook onto the seabed but serves as a brake as it drags along behind a ship that is driven by the storm. Isn't that like the Grace of God?

God understands the pressures and the temptations we frail humans face as we try to balance among life demands - career, spouse, parents, children and other aspects of our lives. For some of us, life's storm can become too hard, and we start to break apart - and God does not descend on us immediately and rebuke "you no good servant, get back on track and live the perfect life now!" God does give us some space when we can no longer take it, and He gently says, "I am always here, I'm behind you, following you, slowing you down so you don't crash into a sand bank. The storm will be over soon, and I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Hope…

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure," writes Paul (Heb 6:19). Whenever we feel like we are sinking, do what these sailors did as their ship was tossed about by a storm: “They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths. In their peril their courage melted away... They cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress."  (Ps 107:26,28)

A lone oak tree on a sea cliff.
"When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever." (Proverbs 10:25)

God waits to hear us cry out to Him when we get ourselves into trouble or when we are being tested. What did Peter do when he could not handle walking on water? He cried out just 3 words: "Lord, save me!" (Mat 14:30)

Lastly, as all sailors know, a light house is a life saver when navigating rocky seas especially when coming into a harbor after sundown. The illumination from the Word of God serves as our spiritual light house, for "your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path."  The "lamp" guides our immediate steps, while the "light" points us to the right direction. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the waves, we should have no problem reaching his arms safely.

Florida

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

(Heb 12:2)

So the next time you out at sea on a ship, lift your eyes to the starry heavens and praise God for the mysteries of the deep and the lessons of grace it teaches us.