THE BOAT DRIVER’S VIEW
A WAKE SURFING DEVOTIONAL
Here’s something that drives wake surfers absolutely bonkers: when the boat driver decides to “help” by constantly looking back to check on you. Every time they turn around, the boat weaves slightly, the wake gets inconsistent, and suddenly you’re eating lake water instead of carving turns. The best drivers keep their eyes forward, maintain steady speed, and trust that you’ll signal if you need something.
It sounds backwards, but the person driving the boat can’t actually see what the surfer is experiencing. From the driver’s seat, you can’t tell if the wave is clean or choppy, if the pocket is perfect or falling apart. All you can see is someone either riding the wake or swimming behind you. The surfer has to trust that the driver knows the route, and the driver has to trust that the surfer will communicate if something’s wrong.
New surfers panic when they can’t see where the boat is heading. “Are we going toward that dock? Is there a no-wake zone ahead? What if there’s another boat coming?” Meanwhile, experienced surfers have learned to focus on their section of wave and trust that the driver has the big picture handled.
Sound familiar? We do this with God all the time. We want him to constantly look back and check on us, not realizing that his constant attention to where we’re going is exactly what keeps our “wave” rideable. When we can’t see around the bend, we panic instead of trusting that he’s got the route mapped out.
In Psalm 32:8, God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” He’s not promising to explain every turn, but he is promising to guide us safely. And in Jeremiah 1:12, he tells Jeremiah, “I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled” – like a boat driver keeping steady course to make sure his promises come true.
Jesus tried to calm his friends’ anxiety about this in John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.” He’s basically saying, “Trust me with the navigation – I know where we’re going.”
This Week’s Challenge: Pick one area where you’ve been demanding that God “look back” and explain his route to you. Practice trusting his navigation this week by focusing on your part (riding the wave he’s given you) rather than trying to drive the boat from the back.
Questions for Reflection:
When you can’t see where God is taking you, what’s your typical response – trust the driver or demand to see the map?
How might your anxiety about the future be like a wake surfer distracting the boat driver from keeping a steady course?
What would it look like to focus more on riding the wave God has you on right now rather than worrying about where the boat is headed next?
The best rides happen when you trust the driver and focus on your wave.