[Wednesday's Devotional] - The Rudder

The next example of the tongue James uses is perhaps a little more vivid. He compares the tongue to the rudder of a ship. A ship may be a great structure being carried to and fro by the tremendously powerful forces of the winds and the waves. Yet, in that ship there is only one decisive, small piece—the rudder. It is the use of the rudder that determines the whole course of the ship. If the rudder is used properly, the ship will arrive safely in the harbour. If it’s not, the ship is likely to be shipwrecked.

 “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”
James 3:4 [NIV]

                                                                                                      

There is a quote I have lived by this last year written by H. Jackson Brown Jnr. “When you can’t change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails.” I have rolled with the unforced rhythm of God’s grace into the unchartered waters of a new job, directed by the rudder of Gods’ promises. Words steer us and determine our destiny.

Remember the ten spies in the book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14. The Israelites had come out of Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land. God arranged with Moses to send twelve men ahead of them to spy out the land, one leader was chosen from each of the twelve tribes to go and they spent forty days walking through the land before coming back with their report.  Ten of the twelve spies focused on the problems, not on the promises, only two - Joshua and Caleb, focused on the promises; they said “We are well able." The other spies said, "We are not able." Each got exactly what they declared, they all settled their own destinies by the way they used their tongues.

When you face God's promise concerning a certain situation, what are you going to do with your tongue?  Are you going to be like the ten spies who said "Nevertheless” and looked at all the problems – in that fatal word the people chose death, or are you going to chose life and declare the promise of God like Caleb and Joshua and say "We can do it” Numbers:13:30  [The Message].

“Say to them, ‘As I live, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you,’ says the Lord”. Numbers 14:28  [NLV]

Dawn Milward