Don’t Forget the Lord

Bill came running to the dockside, where his father was standing, his heart pounding with excitement. “Hey dad!” he yelled, “John Smith said he will take us out for a ride in his boat tomorrow if we want to go with him. Can we go?”

Bill held his breath, waiting for his dad’s answer. He had to say yes. In all the time they had come on vacation to Rockford Beach, John Smith had never offered to take them out in his boat before. John was quite a few years older than Bill, and Bill envied his easy-going life. With his own boat he had the freedom to go for rides in the ocean any time he felt like it. When his father died of a heart attack, John inherited an old fishing boat and immediately dropped out of school.

Dad hesitated, “Tomorrow is Sabbath, Bill. We’ll be going to church.”
“Oh dad!” said Bill, his hopes dashed. “Do we have to go to church when we’re on vacation?” He scowled and then he added, “Besides, I’m getting too big for church and Sabbath school. John never goes.”
“We’re Christians in our family,” dad said gently, “And we go to church every Sabbath. We’re never too old to go to church.”
“But I don’t get anything out of it, dad.”
“How much do you put into it, Bill?”

Bill dropped his head. He didn’t put much into it, he knew. He fooled around hi children’s Sabbath school when he could get away with it, and didn’t really listen to the sermon very much. Usually he tuned out and had his mind on all the things he would like to be doing with his worldly friends out at the park. It seemed such a waste of time to spend a couple of hours each week in church when there were so many other exciting things to do.

“Ask John if he can take us on Sunday,” said dad. “I’ll be glad to go then.”
Fortunately John agreed, and Bill was happy again.
Somehow Bill got through Sabbath. He was sorry he had to spend two hours of such a beautiful day in a stuffy church, but when Sunday dawned as beautiful as Sabbath he was satisfied.
Early hi the morning they went to meet John on the dock. “It is very kind of you to take us out, John,” dad said to the teenager.
John nodded. “Glad for some company,” he replied.

“Does your boat have a powerful engine?” dad asked.
“Oh, it’s good enough on days like this when the water’s not too rough,” John replied casually. “Of course, the harbor mouth is a bit tricky to get in and out of, no matter what the weather is like. There is a strong current and freak waves – ever since they built that jetty half a mile north of here. She takes a bit of handling to get her in and out safely.”
“How about a radar?” Bill asked.
“I haven’t bothered with it,” John said briefly. “It’s too expensive. Besides, when the weather is bad, I just don’t go out. I can come and go as I like.”
“That is certainly a nice life,” dad commented, “But don’t you get bored?”
“No, not really,” said John, “I’m a natural born drifter. There is no place to go hi a hurry. No pressure. Let the rest of the world break its neck in their rush. I am not going to. I like to take it easy.”

Bill looked at his dad to see what effect John’s words were having on him. But dad’s expression didn’t betray his feelings. John’s way of life did seem attractive, but somehow Bill felt there had to be more to life than just drifting hi and out with the tide. Bill figured he would enjoy it for a while, but not forever.

Soon they began to chug their way out of the harbor. There were not many boats out today. The water inside the harbour was like glass and the boat cut through it with ease. Even the stretch through the harbour mouth was uneventful, although Bill could see heavy swells rising and falling, and the jagged black rocks at the base of the jetties looked ominous. Bill knew that Rockford Beach harbor had a reputation for being treacherous. He remembered last summer when they were on vacation here; even the harbour patrol boat capsized and was smashed to pieces.

Once they were far enough out to sea, John cut the engine and let the boat drift for awhile. They enjoyed relaxing in the peaceful, quiet ocean, swaying to and fro. For more than an hour they sat relaxing on the boat. John sat with his back propped up against the cabin with his hat pulled over his eyes. For all Bill knew, he could be sleeping.

Bill felt sleepy too. The ocean shone like polished steel, and the gentle rocking of the boat added to his sleepy feeling. He stood up and moved to the other side of the boat where he would feel more of a gentle breeze. Far out to sea, the horizon was lost in a yellowish-gray haze, and the usually deep blue sky had a thin wash of mist over it. Bill hoped it didn’t mean a change in the weather. He leaned over the side and watched a jellyfish float lazily by, and just out from the bow a fish jumped. In a few minutes he leaned back against the cabin and rested.

Bill wasn’t sure how long he sat there. Suddenly he realized he was feeling cold. He stood up and looked out to sea. The horizon was no longer there. The gray haze had become a bank of mist and rolled across the water.
Just then John tried to start the engine. Bill joined his dad on what should have been the landward side of the boat, but the shoreline had disappeared.

Bill moved into the cabin where John was coaxing the engine to life. At last it caught, and the boat began to move. John swung the bow in the direction of the coast. “The wind shifted,” he muttered. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“The fog is pretty thick,” dad said, stepping into the cabin.

“I know, I know,” said John looking worried. “I should have kept my eye on that fog bank. It’s been out there for days, just waiting for a change in the weather.”
Dad looked worried too, but he didn’t say anything. They chugged along for a while trying to peer through the damp fog. Bill looked at his dad, hoping for some encouraging sign. But dad had his head bowed. Was he praying? Bill wondered.

Eventually John changed direction slightly. “We can’t be too far off shore now,” he said. He cut the engine completely. The silence was almost deafening after the roar of the engine.
“What did you stop for?” Bill asked.
“Shh! I’m listening,” John said.

Bill listened too, but all he could hear was the gentle lapping of the water and an occasional splash as a fish jumped. The mournful wail of a seagull sounded overhead. Suddenly Bill heard another sound -a gentle hum at first but growing louder. Then Bill jumped as a deep horn blasted out of nowhere, echoing over the water. The hum became a roar.

John leapt into action. Bill had never seen him move so fast. He jabbed a button on the far side of the cabin and another blast of a horn filled the damp air Suddenly a ship loomed out of the mist. The next moment it swerved as it saw their boat. The bow of a pleasure yacht sliced through the water only a few feet away.

“Phew! That was close,” John said. Dad didn’t speak, and Bill’s legs had turned to jelly.
“Here, Bill,” John said, “You man this horn. See that clock there with the second hand on it -every two minutes push that button, just like I did. Every two minutes now. Have you got that?”
Bill nodded. He felt jittery.

John started the engines, and the boat began to move. Then he asked dad to go up into the bow to be a lookout for them. “I’ll move us in slowly. The boat’s gone, but others will be caught in this. You listen for their horns and direct me from up front,” John said. Then he muttered, “Sure wish I had a radio. Could use some communication right now.”
They moved cautiously through the fog like a phantom ship. Then after about ten minutes John cut the engines again. He put his head outside the cabin and listened.

“Hear that?” he called to dad. “Two high pitched wails a minute apart. That’s the harbour fog horn.” Then he turned to Bill. “Keep manning that horn,” he said, “We’re not through the worst of this yet. It’ll be no joke finding the harbour mouth in this fog.” The boat began to move again.

Bill wondered how on earth they would manage in the channel. The memory of those jagged black rocks came flooding back.
Just then dad waved his arms and John slowed the boat to a crawl. He stuck his head out of the cabin. “What is it?” he called.
“A boat ahead – portside,” dad shouted.
They floated gently ahead and then out of the mist, the gray hull of the harbour patrol appeared. A patrolman stood at the bow, a megaphone at his mouth.
“Need help?” he called.
“Sure do!” Jim yelled back.

“Follow us,” called the patrolman and the motorboat swung around and headed for the harbour entrance.
Dad came back into the cabin. “Praise the Lord for someone to follow,” he said his serious face white with strain. “Someone who knows the way ahead.”
“You can say that again!” John said with feeling, his eyes steadily on the green and red lights of the patrol boat.

Safely home at last. Bill sipped a cup of warm tea and gazed at the logs in the fireplace. It had been a scary experience out there alone, with no communication, but his father seemed calm through it all. He had seen his father praying a lot and perhaps that is what made him calm. Even John had noticed his father’s calmness and wondered about it. Maybe his own life of drifting is not the way that he should be living. It was no help in an emergency.

Bill sat thinking, maybe that is what going to church is all about -communication. How could you expect God to suddenly answer your prayers in an emergency, if you never talked to Him before? In fact, Bill was so worried and scared that he didn’t think to even ask the Lord for help as his father had done. Bill decided that he would be in church the next week for sure and without any complaints. He would learn to communicate with Jesus as his father had done so that when the next emergency comes he too can be as calm as his father, trusting in Jesus to protect them. Yes, he now understood the value of going to church and listening to the sermons. The Word of God had new meaning for him and so Bill started to remember to take Jesus with him wherever he went.

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11.

Being out of touch with you, O Lord, is like being lost in a fog. Forgive me for thinking I can take care of myself. Please guide me so my life will turn out right.