Boat needed? 

Well, November has been a bit of a washout so far as my allotment is concerned. All that’s been done is a bit of tidying, the final harvest of carrots and, joy of joys, the last of the autumn raspberries. It’s been so dark and we’ve had so much rain that it often seemed as if a boat would be a necessary form of transport! This got me thinking.
 
Firstly, how many boats are there in the Bible? Simple answer, a lot! Obviously there is Noah’s Ark and then all the boats needed to transport the materials for the temple built by Solomon. There’s Jonah on his reluctant journey to Nineveh, but the smallest was the one made for Moses by his mother - “she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:3,4). What a courageous thing to do in very tricky circumstances, but God was watching over Moses as he had big plans for his life.
 
Boats were an integral part of life in New Testament times. Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. He preached from boats, slept through storms and walked on water, and saw his disciples in a boat. Living by the sea of Galilee they were essential forms of transport and trade. Paul didn’t do well though, as he was repeatedly shipwrecked, but again God was watching over him.
 
Secondly, what do boats represent in the Bible? Here are a couple of possibilities I found on the internet: 

• Signifying a vessel of salvation, the boat was often used to portray the church. The old image still resonates in the word we use for the central portion of a sanctuary, the nave. The Latin word for ship is navis, and for boat, navicula
• The boat can symbolise a spiritual journey on the sea of life; one cannot get anywhere by remaining on an island. A boat without a pilot might also suggest that God guides the soul's journey.

Well, I don’t have a boat but I do have Jesus, who is with me through all the storms that life throws my way, my guide and my anchor when things get tough.

Thank you, Lord, that you are watching over me every day. Amen.
 
If you fancy testing your knowledge of boats in the Bible, then here’s a short quiz. If you get more than 8/10, you’re doing better than me!