Ironbridge Church | Pastor’s Corner

Long ago in the age of sailing ships, a minister of the gospel had booked passage on a long ocean voyage. During the voyage, while the ship was still far out at sea, the wind stopped suddenly. The ship was dead in the water. The minutes turned to hours as the crew patiently waited for a breeze to blow again so they could continue their journey.

As the hours turned into several days, the captain became desperate. “Tell that preacher to meet me in my quarters,” the captain said. The man of God made his way into the presence of the captain. “Can I be of help to you, captain?” the minister asked. “Yes indeed!” said the captain. “I need you to pray to God that He will give us a strong, steady wind so we can be on our way.”

“Captain, I’d be happy to intercede for you, your ship, and your crew.”

The minister noticed that the sails had all been lowered during the time of persistent calm. “Captain, please have your men raise the sails.”

“Don’t be a fool, man. There’s no wind,” the captain complained. “Pray to your God and when He sends the wind, then we’ll raise the sails.”

There was a momentary pause, and the minister answered. “Captain, if you don’t have the faith to raise the sails, I’m not willing to pray for wind.”

The captain raised the sails immediately. The man of God prayed, and God sent the wind.

Are you willing to raise the sails in your life today…before…God sends the wind?

Today’s Scripture Promise: “yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:20, 21—New American Standard)

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under 77 Days of Prayer and Fasting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.