Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me

Jesus, Savior, pilot me over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll, Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee; Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

While the Apostles’ fragile bark, Struggled with the billows dark,
On the stormy Galilee, Thou didst walk upon the sea;
And when they beheld Thy form, Safe they glided through the storm.

Though the sea be smooth and bright, Sparkling with the stars of night,
And my ship’s path be ablaze with the light of halcyon days,
Still I know my need of Thee; Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When the darkling heavens frown, And the wrathful winds come down,
And the fierce waves, tossed on high, Lash themselves against the sky,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me, Over life’s tempestuous sea.

As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will, When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!”
Wondrous Sovereign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore, And the fearful breakers roar
’Twixt me and the peaceful rest, Then, while leaning on Thy breast,
May I hear Thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

A few weeks ago I referenced this particular hymn when I commented on the bumper sticker “God is my Co-pilot.”  The title to this hymn may have thrown you off because the hymn really isn’t about the piloting of a plane, but is really about guiding a ship.  The author of this hymn had a tremendous ministry to sailors in New York at the “Church of the Sea and Land” in the New York Harbor.  I like his choice of words in the title to this hymn because I think “pilot” provides a much better connotation that “captain” does.

The author talks about several times in his life where He is asking the Lord to be his pilot, and where he needs the Lord to be there for him.  I thought I would comment on a few of those times:

• “Tempestuous and stormy” times – You probably had a mental picture of a sea being tossed on the shores when reading the verses about the stormy seas.  These times are probably the easiest to remember the Lord and cry out “Help” like the disciples did.  In the story where Jesus tells the storm to “Be still,” the Bible says that they didn’t ask for help until the storms were already upon them.  They probably thought they could handle the situation without the Lord’s help, but once the storms arrived, they knew He was the only one that could help.  We are probably no different than they were.  In times of desperation or when we don’t have anywhere else to turn, then we go to the Lord.  It shouldn’t be that way, but far too often can be reality for many people.

• “Smooth sailing” – The third verse paints a picture of smooth waters and easy sailing.  I like the line at the end of that verse that says “Still I know my need of Thee.”  Isn’t it easy to forget God when things are going great?  When things are going well, we tend to take credit for our good decisions and planning, don’t we?  The author reminds himself that he knows he still needs the Lord’s leading and guiding in those good times. 

• “Dark and cloudy” times –  Are you a worrier? Do you see the bad times in every “cloud” that comes?  How often we spend time analyzing, planning, and worrying about things that we really have no control over.  Not all clouds bring bad storms.  Some clouds bring refreshing rain.  Some clouds look terrible, but blow on by.  During these times when our hearts and minds tend to worry, we need to remind ourselves who is piloting us.  Worry won’t change things as Jesus Himself reminded us in Matthew 6.

I will be the first to tell you I don’t know much about sailing or boating.  I didn’t grow up on the water, and have never spent much time on the water.  I have, however, always been intrigued by sailing.  How does a sailor direct his vessel when he can’t control the direction of the wind?  How did sailors navigate the oceans hundreds of years ago without having great maps, radar, GPS and the like?  There are a couple of things that I have learned about how these sailors were successful without all of our modern technology.  The first is that they used fixed objects or “constants” like the sun, moon, or certain stars to guide them by day and night.  They set their direction based upon where these “constants” were so that they knew they were going in the right direction.  Secondly, they would find the current, and let the wind carry their ship.  They didn’t fight the wind, but utilized the wind to carry them to where they needed to go.

So ask yourself today.  Do you have a “constant” that you are using to guide your daily walk?  Have you fixed your eyes on Jesus?  Are you being led by the Holy Spirit?  Are your “sails” set with Him or against Him?  The author of this hymn acknowledged that the “chart and compass come from Thee.”  Those two tools provided a couple of things:  The chart reminded the captain where he was going, and the compass helped him get there.  Do you know what your destination is?  Are you confident where you are going?  Is the Bible your compass?  I hope that your prayer today is like the author’s – “Jesus, Savior, Pilot me” during all times of your life.  He is the Best Pilot you will ever have (and just a reminder, He doesn’t need a Co-pilot).