I don’t think any of us get up one morning and say to ourselves, I think I’ll drift away from God today. Drifting happens when we aren’t paying attention. Consider this story about a friend of mine.
It was supposed to be a sailing adventure for Loran and the youth group at his church. A friend had procured three sailing vessels that resembled the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. I’m not sure how much they actually looked like the ships Columbus sailed across the Atlantic, but they seemed just about as old.
When they left the dock, the sky was blue, the wind was brisk, and the teenagers were ready for an adventure at sea.
But by nightfall, a threatening gale blew in. The rolling waves grew into fifteen-foot walls of water, tossing the tiny boats like toys in a toddler’s bathtub.
All night long, Loran fought the storm. He stayed alert. He prayed to the One who calms the seas and kept his eyes on the sailboats in front of him—one of which carried two of his daughters.
Again and again, the boat shot toward the sky and then plunged into the inky water. But Loran held fast. This was a battle he was determined to win.
In the wee hours of the morning, the wind and rain finally stopped. The storm passed, and once again the boats cut a smooth path across the glassy sea.
Everyone was exhausted from the turbulent night, so the group decided to find a lagoon, drop anchor, and rest.
Loran jumped into the cool, crystal-blue water and suddenly realized just how tired he was from the struggle of the night before. He turned over on his back, closed his burning eyes, and began to float.
Slowly, the knots in his neck and back began to loosen, and the tension drained from his aching muscles. The sounds of the teenagers playing in the water became muffled until the only noises he heard were the water lapping against his skin and the occasional call of a seagull.
He was so relaxed that he almost drifted off to sleep. And while he rested, his body drifted out to sea.
After some time, Loran opened his eyes and looked around. His heart sank. He had drifted a great distance from the rest of the group. And no one even knew he was gone.
Oh, Lord. Help me get back, he prayed.
Loran swam and swam, fighting the water with all his might, but the receding tide was stronger than he was. After what seemed like a lifetime, he was still a mile or so from his friends and family.
“Help!” he cried. But no one heard his distant call. Oh, God! Don’t let me die now.
Somehow, Loran finally made it back to the boat alive. As he lay panting on the deck, he realized a profound truth.
During the previous twenty-four hours, he had faced great danger twice—once while battling the storm and once while quietly drifting out to sea.
But of the two, he had been in greater danger while carelessly drifting than while determinedly fighting the storm.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
We usually think the storms of life are our greatest danger. And certainly, storms can be frightening. A diagnosis shakes us. A relationship breaks us. A financial crisis keeps us awake at night. A prodigal child brings us to our knees.
But the greatest danger may not be the storm you do see, but the drift you don’t.
The storm keeps you alert; the drift lulls you to sleep. Storms send us searching for God, clinging to His promises, praying with urgency, and holding tightly to Him.
Storms make us cling; comfort can make us careless.
And the danger of drifting is that you often don’t know it’s happening.
When life is comfortable, our prayers can become casual. Our time in God’s Word can become sporadic. Our dependence on Him can gradually diminish. We don’t necessarily make a deliberate decision to move away from God. We simply stop paying attention.
And drifting almost never happens all at once. You don’t drift toward God—you draw near on purpose. (See James 4:8)
No one intends to drift out to sea. And no follower of Jesus wakes up one morning and decides, Today I think I’ll drift away from God. Drifting happens when we stop being intentional about staying close.
Maybe that is why Hebrews tells us to pay careful attention. Whether the seas of life are raging or perfectly calm, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, listen for His voice, and hold fast to His truth.
So whether you are battling rough waters today or floating peacefully through a quiet season, stay alert.
Sometimes the greatest danger isn’t the storm we’re fighting, but the drift we don’t notice.
Dear Father, keep my heart close to You in every season. When life is hard, help me trust You. When life is easy, help me not to forget how much I need You. Make me sensitive to Your voice, attentive to Your Word, and quick to follow Your leading. Guard me from becoming spiritually careless or slowly wandering away. Give me a heart that seeks You daily and desires Your presence above all else. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Digging DeeperÂ
One way to keep us from drifting is by looking for God’s fingerprints on our daily lives, listening to His still small voice, and expressing gratitude at every turn. That’s why I wrote, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More. Stop the drift! Embrace His presence…everyday. Get your copy and prepared to feel extremely loved.
PS: Thank you for your purchases! They are like a holy hug and help these devotions keep coming!
PSS: And thank you for sharing these devotions with others! LYSM (love you so much)
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Comments 21
Thank you for this encouraging read!
His,
Lisa
This was an awesome devotional! Hit me right where I am at today!
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn’t always do that through obvious ways, but through the slow drift.
Thank you and may God continue to bless to bless you!
Thank you… I needed this more than you’ll ever know… Thank God for giving you this beautiful message and for your obedience to his will in your postings! 🖤🙏🏾
Perfectly said!
Wonderful!
Sharon, I really needed to hear this today. Complacency in the contentment of this season is a battle in itself. Thank you for the reminder.
Good morning Sharon, I want you to know that I look forward to your emails, and I find them to be uplifting and instructional. Thank you for all that you do for the Lord and his children. 💖🙏🏼
Author
Thank you sweet friend. I love doing life with my devo friends!
Footsteps in the Sand is my favorite prayer, when I’m feeling alone in any situation in life.
God thank you for letting me reach for you first in all seasons of my life, as I turn 44 today may my relationship with continue to be stronger and most important. Thank you for the times I drifted and you brought me back home to you. I’m thankful for being able to live in a life of answered prayers. Amen
Happy birthday Keshawnda!
Sharon I loved your devotional reading today.🙏
Took me back to the time my husband and I had a sail boat and had many adventures and stories to share.
One was quite scary helping a friend bring back his boat from Mackinaw Island. During the night a terrible storm came, my husband being a good sailor brought us through the storm safely although it was our PRAYERS and FAITH that kept us SAFE.
Please Jesus never let me drift away from you. Amen.
Veronica 🙏
Author
Such a good illustration!
Yes! True words. We must be ever aware and intentional to stay the course. And, as one person commented, there is one who prowler, with marked intent. Thank you, blessings.
Thank you for this timely reminder to keep us on our toes so to speak. This goes right along with my bible reading this morning on Daniel. He had to be intentional in his daily walk for God to use him like He did and God also honored him .
This is SO AMAZINGLY TRUE! I lost my husband a few months ago so I have been leaning on God more than ever in my life! He has been by my side and I have grown so close to my Lord and Savior!
But, it has also made me realize ALL the “drifting away” I’ve done in my life! And ALL HIS BLESSINGS that I’ve missed out on in doing so, and how much different my life would have been if I hadn’t! BUT GOD, now and forever by my side and in my heart and leading my life! I can’t give Him ALL THE PRAISE HE DESERVES, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TRYING, MOMENT BY MOMENT!
Author
Pat, I’m so sorry for your loss. What a great outlook you have. Step by step. Day by day. I pray you will be filled with wonderful memories and more to come…just different.
Thank you Sharon, this spoke to me
right on spot! I have been trying to get closer to God as I was in the past,
and drifting is so real, I will continue to seek our Lord Jesus Christ every minute, and thank you for the most important reminder, not to drift.
Thank you Sharon for this great devotional!
I do find myself sometimes drifting, but Thank you Jesus for keeping me anchored in you and your word!🙏
God bless all!
Love this devotional, easy to read and apply to daily life
Once again our Lord leads you to write the very thing I needed to hear this morning
Fight the Good Fight ~ P♪