Let Go

Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me (ELW 755)

1 Jesus, Savior, pilot me
over life’s tempestuous sea;
unknown waves before me roll,
hiding rock and treach’rous shoal;
chart and compass come from thee.
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

2 As a mother stills her child,
thou canst hush the ocean wild;
boist’rous waves obey thy will
When thou say’st to them: “Be still.”
Wondrous sov’reign of the sea,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

3 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.”

Devotion: A nautical or harbor pilot is a person who steers a ship into and out of a harbor that the ship’s crew may not be familiar with. The ship’s captain and crew temporarily place their vessel and their trust in this person to keep the ship in the main channel, to safely maneuver it around buoys, underwater obstacles, and treacherous currents. We also are asked to place our trust in God to steer us out of dangerous and difficult situations. The slogan, “Let go and let God,” comes to mind. This often requires patience as we wait for answers to our prayers and wisdom to recognize when a friend, stranger, or loved one is there to pilot us out of trouble. Or maybe we are being asked to loan our arms and legs to Jesus as he pilots someone else out of their dangerous waters.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give us the courage to place our faith and hope in you and to let you pilot us through the waters of life with all its temptations and dangers. Amen.