[Tuesday's Devotional] - Tacking into the wind

I know very little about sailing, but the process of tacking allows a boat to sail forwards into a headwind.  Sometimes in life, the wind is against us - we can find it difficult to avoid being blown backwards and rather than making forward progress we are drifting in reverse and sliding backwards in the opposite direction from where we wish to go.  Is life like this at the moment for you?  Do you feel that the wind is taking you away from your goal?  Perhaps we can learn from the tacking experience - we can gain speed by going across the wind and use our forward momentum to keep moving as we turn into the wind. 

Being a disciple means trying to follow Jesus even when we are struggling into a headwind.  At times the wind will be strong and "in your face", and staying still might be a triumph when all around you people are being driven backwards.  In Matthew's gospel the disciples spent some time in boats and from time to time the weather was against them:

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,  but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.  And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.  Matthew 14: 22-25 [NRSV]

Is there a headwind in your life?  Do you find it difficult to make progress?  Sometimes Jesus appeared in unexpected ways and surprised his disciples by appearing "out of the fog" to come to their aid.  Call on Jesus to help you make progress and keep you moving in the right direction.

Lord Jesus, help me to make progress when the sea is rough and the wind is strong against me.  Help me to follow you wherever you call me.  Amen.

Dave MacLellan