There are moments in life when your heart beats so loudly you’re convinced the whole world can hear it.
5 November 2020 was one of those moments for us.
We stood on the deck of our boat… two complete beginners… staring at the open water like it was a final exam we hadn’t studied for. Except… we had studied. We had studied like our lives depended on it.
Before we ever touched a halyard or hoisted a sail, we devoured every sailing book we could find… watched hours of YouTube lessons… and Andre went for proper training so he could stand behind the wheel as the captain of his ship with confidence, not guesswork. We prepared because we knew the ocean is brutal—it rewards the wise, those who have prepared for the storms before they ever appear, who respect its power, understand its patterns.
And faith works the same way.
As we untied the lines that morning, I whispered the only verse that made sense in that moment:
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”… Psalm 56:3
And then we did it.
We hoisted the sails…
We stepped into the unknown…
We moved.
Preparation Doesn’t Remove Fear… It Anchors You Through It
Just like sailing, you cannot grow in God without study.
You cannot understand the Father without spending time in His Word.
You cannot hold on to Scripture in a storm if you never learned it in the calm.
We trained for sailing because we knew the tests would come.
And they did.
The moment the wind filled the canvas, our boat leaned… hard… with her toe rail in the water. We had never experienced anything like it.
But here’s the thing:
Because we had studied…
Because we had trained…
Because we had listened to those who knew more than we did…
We knew she would rise again.
We had faith in God…
But we also had faith in the vessel He had placed in our care…
And in the knowledge He had helped us gather.
That’s why Scripture matters.
That’s why study matters.
That’s why preparation matters.
You can’t go into battle without training.
Even David didn’t face Goliath empty-handed… he came with a sling he had practised with his whole life.
The First Lean… and the First Lesson
As our boat leaned, something unexpected happened.
The fear didn’t vanish…
It shifted.
It became awe…
It became exhilaration…
It became the kind of joy that bubbles up when you realise you’re doing something you once thought you couldn’t.
And right there, in that lean, God whispers:
Courage isn’t the absence of fear… It’s moving anyway.
Faith Requires Motion
We often pray for God to strengthen us… guide us… lead us.
But sometimes the leading only happens after we take the first trembling step.
Just like Peter stepping out of the boat, we had to step into something that didn’t feel stable.
“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”… Matthew 14:29
Peter didn’t wait for the waves to calm.
He didn’t wait to feel brave.
He moved… and Jesus met him in the motion.
That day, as our boat cut through the water, I realised something:
God doesn’t ask us to be fearless.
He asks us to trust Him more than the fear.
The Wind, the Water, and the Whisper
As we sailed toward Hout Bay, the coastline stretched out like a promise. Mountains rose around us. The sea shimmered. And my heart… the same heart that had been doing gymnastics hours earlier… finally settled into peace.
Not because the water was calm.
Not because we suddenly became expert sailors.
But because God was with us… in every gust… every wobble… every breath.
Isaiah 41:10 echoed through my spirit:
“Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you… I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
And He did.
The Lesson From the Water
Fear will always try to talk you out of your calling.
It will tell you you’re not ready… not skilled enough… not brave enough.
But preparation silences fear’s loudest lies.
Study strengthens your spirit.
Scripture steadies your mind.
Training builds your confidence.
The wind doesn’t wait for perfect sailors.
And God doesn’t wait for perfect people.
He waits for willing ones.
That day, we weren’t fearless.
We were willing.
We were prepared.
And God did the rest.
Dear Abba Father, Thank You for meeting us in the places where fear and faith collide. Thank You for the wind that tests us, the water that teaches us, and the moments that stretch us into who You’ve called us to be. As we stepped onto that boat for the first time, You were already there… steadying our hearts, guiding our hands, and whispering courage into our spirits.
Lord, help us to be people who prepare… who study Your Word the way we studied the sea… who train our hearts the way we trained our hands… who anchor ourselves in Scripture so that when the winds rise, we rise with them. Teach us to trust You in the lean, to believe that You will lift us again, and to remember that no test comes without Your presence beside us.
Strengthen our faith, deepen our understanding, and make us bold enough to take the next step… even when it trembles.
In every journey, on land or water, may our lives reflect Your goodness and Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Post based on our first sail when we sailed into Houtbay Our First Sail: Fear, Faith & Fireworks – Anchored in Hope. What a privilege we have to live a life where God meets us in the storm. I love You Jesus, thank you for teaching me to rise when the world comes crushing down around me…
