The Real Captain and Our Ultimate Captain

In Romans 15, we read about the ability of the Lord to give us endurance in a world that is sometimes dangerous and challenging:  4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,  And, in verse 13, we read: 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can trust in the Lord to see us through the obstacles we face in this life.   The Word of God can give us encouragement and help us to endure difficult seasons of life - because He is faithful and we can know Him as we navigate our most challenging times, we can have hope.   Hope can keep us going when we don't see the end result, when we may not be sure of the outcome - we can be sure of and strengthened by the power and presence of Almighty God, who will give us His joy and His strength - powerful spiritual resources that we need in order to follow God's path for us.                                                                             +++++   Paul writes to the church at Corinth in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1, reflecting on the power of encouragement, even when hope could be waning:7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. Believers in Christ have the ability to hope in Christ, even when hope seems lost.   And, we can know God is faithful - just think, when Jesus had been crucified and laid in the grave, that was not the end of the story...on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead.   That's the point of what Paul is saying here - even in times of despair, when life's challenges are overwhelming, we can know the presence of the abiding God, who loves us and gives us enduring strength.   Great pressure can produce great faith in our Almighty Lord!    So, when the pressure hits and our vision becomes clouded, we can begin to see through the eyes of faith to a God who gives us sustaining power!                                                                                                           +++++ 

In Colossians 1, Paul paints an excellent picture of a Christian who is devoted to following Christ, relying on His strength:
(9) since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience...
On the morning of April 8, 2009 off the coast of Somalia, the ship named the Maersk Alabama was boarded by Somali pirates.  Captain Richard Phillips alerted his crew that day, and as he described it to CBN News,

"From then on, it was a 12 to 13 hour slippery slope of hide and seek, a cat and mouse game on the Maersk Alabama before we got into the life boat."

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During that cat and mouse game, the Alabama's crew captured the pirates' leader. Phillips then surrendered himself to the remaining three and left the ship to board one of its life boats.   

"I was supposed to be exchanged for their leader," Phillips explained. "The leader came down, got in the boat, and then they didn't exchange me. So that is one of the lessons I learned ... never trust a pirate."

One of the biggest lessons that the captain learned in the four days from the time the pirates first boarded the vessel to the time they were resuced was a spiritual one.  

The captain is quoted as saying, "There is power to prayer and it did help me...When I talked to God and prayed, I did not pray for an escape. I prayed for strength and patience. I prayed that God would let me have the strength to continue and to know when to escape and the patience to wait for that time."  

Phillips tried to escape once to the nearby USS Bainbridge, but failed in his attempt because as he tried to swim to the Navy ship, he became vulnerable to being re-captured and then, tortured.   Finally, after 4 days, his captors were taken out by the Bainbridge crew and on Easter Sunday, Phillips gained his freedom.

The story of Captain Richard Phillips is the basis for a new movie called, "Captain Phillips", which is in theaters now and scored #2 at the box office this past weekend.   Tom Hanks plays the role of the captain.

It is so often said that movies are "based" on true stories.  The real story that the captain tells can give us plenty of lessons.   As he told CBN, we should never trust a pirate.   This reminds us that we should know who we can trust.   Certainly we should seek to be trustworthy people.  We should be discerning about people and their character, which can help us to make quality decisions on whether or not they can keep a confidence, if we should share sensitive information with them, or if they will complete a task reliably that they are asked to do.  

Another lesson we learn from the captain is that we can pray for strength to endure.   Sometimes God will remove us from negative circumstances or remove the agitation from us.   Other times, He will develop His character in us in the midst of our circumstance.   Whatever the outcome, we know that He is working for our good and for His glory.  If we surrender ourselves to Christ, we can trust Him for the results.

And, finally, Captain Phillips experienced rescue from peril - and I think that it's cool that it happened on Easter Sunday - on the day that we celebrate the freedom that was won for us by the victory of Christ from the grave, the captain experienced a physical rescue by trained professionals who seized the opportunity and did what was necessary to bring the captain to safety.   Freedom can be the end result of sacrifice.   The Navy Seals did what they did best - putting their lives on the line to acquire the desired result.   Jesus paid the ultimate price to win our freedom, as well, and through His sacrifice we can experience His presence in our lives.

So this story of danger and bravery teaches us about living in a dangerous world.   We face decisions every day, and we need the wisdom and strength of the Lord.   Wisdom to know who to trust and how to operate - strength to endure when life gets rough.    And, if we lay down our lives and dedicate ourselves to Him, we will see that He will be with us in the midst of our difficulty, molding us into the image of Christ and sustaining us faithfully.