“The winds were contrary.” Have you ever listened to a sermon that was so impactful, you remember it years later?

I was a relatively new Christian at the time, stationed in Quantico, Virginia, for a military school. Chaplain Dean Cook was unlike many of the chaplains I had known over the previous 12 years in the Marines. He visited the homes of officers and enlistees alike, sitting at kitchen tables and sharing the message of salvation. I think it was the combination of Dean’s character and the newness of my Christian walk that made the message so impactful.

Here was the context of his message:

Jesus, having fed the 5,000, sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee while He went up on the mountain to pray. “And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.” (Matthew 14:23-24, ESV) The KJV uses the word “contrary.” The Greek word translated “against them” in the ESV regarding the winds is enantios, an adjective defined as “over against” (Vine’s Dictionary).

In today’s culture, we Christians face contrary winds. The winds we face are designed to cause us to lose faith in God’s promises. But God has told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Jesus is in the boat with us.

In Mark 4, we see Jesus rebuke the disciples when they panicked in the storm. “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40) Why did He rebuke them? Because He had told them when they got in the boat, “Let us go across to the other side” (Mark 4:35), not go out and drown. The boat was not in danger of shipwreck, but their faith was.

It was no different during the Apostle Paul’s days. In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells him to “wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith.” (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

Jesus is in the boat with us. Not only that, but when He charged us to go and make disciples, He also told us, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) The one who told the disciples to “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4) after an unsuccessful night of fishing filled the nets so full that both ships started to sink. This same Jesus has told us, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)

Spiritually speaking, we are in His boat, and yes, He has us sailing into the storm. The winds are contrary, but our Captain controls the wind and the waves. Are you willing to step into the boat, endure the storm, and cast your nets for men where He directs? I, for one, will follow no matter how fierce the storm.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!