Sailors say that every time you go to sea you learn something—sometimes the hard way! Looking back on a recent sail from New England to Bermuda, I know I will remember it not only as a challenging nautical adventure but also as a spiritual journey on which I learned some important things about the nature of evil and the omnipotence of good.
The voyage turned out to be what my husband—with sublime understatement—called "a tough trip." From the start we were buffeted by strong winds and high seas. On the night we were approaching the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, the waves were particularly steep and confused. I lay in my bunk, hanging on for dear life and doing a lot of praying.
I recalled the storm that Christ Jesus experienced with his disciples. According to Mark's account, the Master was "asleep on a pillow," apparently unaware that waves were pouring into their little ship and nearly swamping it. Awakened by his frightened disciples, he arose and rebuked the wind and the waves, "and there was a great calm." Mark 4:35–41.
