Articles
Jesus Christ, is the compass by whom I direct my life, and the anchor
in whom my soul finds peace and security.

These two stories are from my assignment as an Army Chaplain in the Panama Canal Zone. They were the thrust of a devotion given at a training event for Army Guard and Reserve Chaplains in Orlando, Florida.

The Compass

It was one of the scariest experiences of my life.

I was at sea, captaining a 65-foot schooner, the Chief Aptakisik.

We were in the Pacific Ocean, sailing back to Panama, on a Sunday Morning. We had sailed out to Contadora Island the previous Friday night and our chapel group had enjoyed a great weekend retreat.

Sailing back should have been simple. Stay locked onto the azimuth, and follow it home. It was a straight sail back into anchorage in the Panama Canal. Nothing in between. Just open seas.

Then why was that island coming up on my port side? I saw it, clearly; an inverted “V” rising out of the Pacific: its rocky crags, patches of vegetation, and its streaks of clouds were….there!

I checked the compass reading. I kicked it. It vibrated a few seconds then settled back on the same azimuth.There were 28 souls aboard, my responsibility!

I was faced with a terrible dilemma. If the island was real the compass was wrong. Should I change course? Risk sailing out to sea, into the great Pacific Ocean? (The ship’s radio was inoperative.)

I saw no alternative to trusting the compass. So I answered my mate, “We’ll maintain course, steady as we go.” We could believe our eyes or believe the compass.

Then I stood at the helm and watched the “island” disintegrate into mere clouds. It had been a perfect optical illusion, so real that it was uncanny.

Trusting the compass saved us from possible disaster. Our human senses had deceived us, but the compass proved reliable.

In the immortal words of Edward Harper:
“Jesus Savior, pilot me,
Over life’s tempestuous seas;
Chart and compass come from Thee,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.”

Relying On the Anchor

The other story takes place on water also, but on Gatun Lake.
When they built the Panama Canal they dammed the Chagres River to create the huge fresh-water lake that powers the locks on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the Canal.

I love to fish and did it often while in Panama. I had a 15 ½ run-a-bout, “V” hull, and an 80 hp Johnson motor with a long leg.

We had to watch out for the huge ocean liners transiting the Canal, because their wake could sink a small boat. So we learned to move behind one of the many islands, dotting the lake, for protection.

One day I saw a mean looking storm moving rapidly toward me. In just moments the winds were fierce. To run for it wasn’t an option, because, except in the main channel, the lake is filled with stumps!

So I moved quickly to the leeward side of the nearest island, ran my boat up as close as possible, threw my anchor onto the island, powered backwards a little bit, to set the anchor. And waited for the storm.

It came with a vengeance. The winds and waves bounced the boat around, but the anchor held.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll?
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

Anchor: an instrument for determining direction.
What is yours?
I’ll tell you mine. "The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God stands forever," Isaiah 40:8.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away," Mark 13:31.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life," John 14:5.

When the storms of life come, you will need an anchor.

Anchor: "A source of security and stability."

What is yours? I’ll tell you mine.
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, 1 Timothy 1:1.

"God has chosen to make known…the glorious riches…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," Colossians 1:27.

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,Hebrews 6:19.

To conclude then, my brothers and sisters, here’s today’s sermon in a sentence: Jesus Christ, is the compass by whom we direct our lives, and the anchor in whom our souls find peace and security. Amen

Chaplain (COL) Henry Lamar Hunt

Contact Lamar:
PO Box 463,
Candler, FL 32111

E-Mail: lamarhunt@comcast.net