Who's the Captain of Your Ship

Is there free will, or does God in his Sovereignty have things all pre-planned?  The answer is, Yes.   I heard someone explain it this way; we humans are like passengers on the Queen Mary as it makes its way across the Atlantic.  The huge ocean liner’s captain has its destination charted, and no decisions we make, as passengers, will deter the ship from arriving in port.  True the “free will“ choices we make, while onboard, may affect our individual voyage experiences, eating old sushi for example, but the ultimate goal of the ship will still be realized.

For those of us who trust that God has our highest and best interests at heart, also realize that we’re not always thrilled with his plans for us.  Perhaps we should stop and think, maybe the choice I made, (remember that sushi?), wasn’t the wisest decision I’ve ever made.  Funny thing is, God still allowed me to do it, and the ship of your life is still on course.  When God allows difficult times to befall us, whether they be physical, emotional, financial or spiritual, there is always an underlying reason, and that reason is to bring us into safe harbor, in spite of ourselves.

OK, so let’s say you’re facing a serious health crisis, you have two choices. #1 Get mad at God, question his methods, and miss the Blessing he intended all along.  #2 Trust in the loving plans of our Sovereign God, asking him to guide you through the situation, to the blessing he has at the end.  Scripture tells us very plainly that God‘s thoughts and ways are not our ways, they‘re so much better!  God must always be the captain of our ship, let him do the navigating.  Or think of him in the way the prophet Isaiah did, a master potter, and we the lump of clay he is molding into perfection; don‘t get in his way!  "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong!' Does the pot exclaim, 'How clumsy can you be?' Isaiah 45:9.