Amazing & Unfathomable Part 3



“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand; the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock,
       the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.”
 Proverbs 30:18-19

The question is what is so amazing about a ship on the high seas and why does Agur (the author of this passage) use the word “high” seas and not just “the sea”?  Obviously, there is something more…

Let’s look at the definition of “high seas” first. 

A ship in Agur’s time would be made simply out of wood.  It would be built to get where it needed to go only.  Now days when we think of a ship we think of something wonderful and grand with lots of decks and luxury galore, but not in the Old Testament days. 

Even the Egyptians in all of their technology at the time couldn’t create a ship that was beautiful and built simply for luxury…no, ships were made common.

They were built for a destination. They were made to be efficient.

I think Agur was alluding to faith. What does faith have to do with a ship in the ocean? Let’s imagine for a moment!

Let’s go back and look at the Mayflower, a ship that set sail for a new life. A new beginning.

The Mayflower sailed on the high seas (unenclosed water) for two months and many things happened on that voyage.  According to historical documents and journals, the first part of that voyage was smooth, maybe because they could see the land. That might’ve brought some comfort for awhile, but then the wind and the weather changed and huge storms began to overwhelm the passengers; it caused leaks in the ships which in turn caused many of them to become cold and damp. 

In fact, during one storm, the main beam cracked and some of the passengers and crew wondered if the ship was strong enough to make it, but the ship’s Master and the carpenter who built the ship knew that the it was capable of making the journey regardless of the damages inflicted.

Again, what does all this have to do with faith?

We’ve been built like a common ship, with a destination. But it takes getting out on the high seas to arrive where we’ve been built to go.  Those open waters can be frightening. We lose all human security when we lose sight of the land, but II Corinthians 5:7 says, we live by faith not by sight!  We don’t need the false security, we’ve been given one navigation tool…the Word of God!  When we keep that open allowing it to give us our coordinates we don’t need anything else!

Will storms come?  Will we be tossed and bumped around?  Will we be crushed, hard pressed, and struck down? 

Sure…but the Master and the Carpenter who built us know they’ve done an excellent job and that we are strong enough to make it all the way. We’ve been equipped with everything we need.  We’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing!

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

When we turn our eyes to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith we can endure any storm, any tossing of the open waters!  If He’s the Author then He wrote it, if He’s the Finisher then we aren’t left to float around with nowhere to go, it means He brings what He wrote for us to pass! Beginning and End! Alpha and Omega! 

Oh yes, you have a destination, your course has been set!  He’s built you for a purpose! He’s carved you out of common wood to do uncommon things!  His thoughts to you are countless! He longs to lead you out past the land that keeps you dry and take away everything that holds your attention other than Him!

The waters are open; unenclosed but not uncharted! No, He’s been there before…all the waters we cross, all the storms we encounter, He’s experienced it and defeated it all on the cross!

By faith let Him lead you where He wants you to go. Stop looking at what you cannot see and look to Him Who has seen it all before! Sail the mighty waters by faith made possible through Jesus Christ! It’s Amazing and Unfathomable.