The waves lashed angrily against the side of the boat as if its voyage was sheer disobedience. Inside this boat was a human, and inside this human was a heart banging on the chest cavity with a roaring, adrenaline-pumping plea of “get me out of here!” Standing in the echo of that thought the human was more alone and lost than their heart had ever felt, and the dark night wrapped its cold hands ever tighter around any remaining hope.
Hope. It seems as if it belongs in a lantern to shed light on a worn out path, and yet shouldn’t be contained at all.
Sea foam raging against the lacquer as if to resemble a ferocious rabies victim, salt stinging eye-lid wrinkles and creases, and jostling waves attempting to dislodge the passenger, they held on all the more tightly to the boat and what little hope remained.
Be still came the whisper. Caught off guard and shaken, the hearer listened again.
Be still and know.
What? Be still and know what?
Be still and know that I am God.
Hands sweaty and calloused cling to the side railings. Sea spray whips itself into hair strands and eyebrow ridges. Be still? But, how? Against all selfish desire to cling all the more tightly, the fingers loosen their death grip. Eyes close against the darkness and rain, and deep breaths begin to form between nostril inhales and open-mouth exhales. The heartbeat slows until the pounding is barely heard echoing in ear canals.
Still. And know that I am God.
Thoughts, memories, and verses fly through a mind in safe passage.
“In the beginning.”
“Be strong and of good courage.”
“Wait on the Lord.”
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
“The Lord is my rock and my salvation.”
The sea calms itself to a slow-rolling wave of beauty. Rain is replaced by a warm breeze and what was once damp and cold is dry and comforting. Deep breaths in and out, eyes remain shut, and once again the internal workings of the human’s emotional capacity are replaced and reset. Peace is made at home once again in the heart of the created by the gentle whisper of the Creator.