There is a parking lot in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Sailors in the age of sail dreaded it, calling the area near the equator the “Doldrums.” There is no wind here. A sailing ship could be stuck for weeks. Sailors risked running out of food and water. The endless heat and boredom could result in delirium and breakdown of discipline. Sound familiar?
In a place like the Doldrums, the boredom of the moment can be overwhelming. We can forget where we came from and where we are going. There isn’t much we can do about the wind—it comes and goes—but we can stay focused.
In the Doldrums of this week, or the cabin fever of the Covid-19 shutdown, turn your attention to the most amazing fact of all—Jesus risen from the dead.This week began with Resurrection. Don’t let Easter Sunday be just a blip on the radar. It announces the biggest event in human history.
The dangers of Doldrums are the little distractions. The enemy, Satan, is looking for an unsettled heart. Are you grumbling or complaining? Is the feeling of not being in control causing you to fear? Is the stock market giving you that sinking feeling? Satan is the master mutineer, but Jesus is the perfect Captain. Turn your heart to the Master of the Seas.
We have been looking at Abraham who followed God. He had God’s promises as his road-map and compass. Abraham was tempted to go off course, and he did more than once, but God proved faithful. God is the promise keeper, the master navigator.
God promised that Abraham would have a son. God made this promise when Abraham was 75 years old (Gen. 12:4). The promised son, Isaac, wasn’t born until 25 years later (Gen. 21:5). What did Abraham do while he waited? Doldrums, anyone? Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is nothing. Abraham was tempted to go off course during this time, to abandon the charted course of faith. He tried to escape famine by going to Egypt. God brought him back. He went off course, taking another wife to get that promised son. God redirected him once again.
Abraham’s faith voyage was not always, smooth, but Abraham learned that God was good and that God had a plan. Life is never filled with nothing. Even in the waiting, God has something for you. We are too often focused on the externals—how things look, how much we are producing or getting done, what people see us doing. But God is concerned about the storms of the heart. He has given us the Master of Mariners, Captain Jesus, the promised son of Abraham. We are his crew. Through storms or doldrums, remember the true power that keep us sailing. He is risen from the dead. He is the first born of all creation (Col. 1:15) and the ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5).
Don’t let the wonder of Resurrection Sunday wear off in the Doldrums. Jesus is asking you what he asked the disciples, “He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who can this be? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him” (Luke 8:25). Do you believe that He is in control, even now?
Jesus is risen and alive right now. He is in command. Hold fast.