Article February 8, 2016 Issue

Safe in the storm

Lydia Pierce

The sky seems so much bigger when you’re in the middle of the ocean. Especially when it’s also the middle of the night. And that’s where I was: On a 30-foot wooden sailboat off the coast of Maine. I was sailing with eight other students, plus a teacher, as part of a week-long sailing trip. This was the first night, and we were taking turns keeping watch at the bow of the boat.

It was an experience like no other: just the ocean, the stars, and me. I took the opportunity to read a metaphysical article from a selection we’d brought with us. The article was called “God’s Law of Adjustment,” and there was one line that stood out to me: “If a man were drowning in mid-ocean with apparently no human help at hand, there is a law of God which, when rightly appealed to, would bring about his rescue” (Adam H. Dickey, The Christian Science Journal, January 1916). As I read it, I felt reassured that no matter what challenge presented itself, God would lead us to safety. His love was completely reliable, and we were always in His care. I carried this thought with me through the rest of the trip, and it helped me overcome the many difficulties I faced.

In the middle of the night before our last day of sailing, it started to storm. The wind and waves were ferocious, and the boat was being tossed around. The bad weather woke me up, but almost immediately, the story of Jesus sleeping through the storm came to mind (see Mark 4:36–39). When their own boat was being threatened by waves and wind, the disciples became afraid. But Jesus’ faith that God was always taking care of him allowed him to sleep soundly through the storm. He was completely at peace in the consciousness of God’s presence, and that’s what allowed him both to rest comfortably and, later, to still the wind and the waves. I applied this to our own situation and fell back asleep trusting that God was protecting all of us.

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