Reliable Captain

When Charles Wesley penned the words of this great Standard, ‘Captain of Israel’s Host and Guide’, he was being true to what was not just scriptural, but what was also personal to him in his Christian journey. I share with you the second stanza in this well-known, beloved hymn.

By Thy unerring Spirit led,

We shall not in the desert stray,

We shall not full direction need,

Nor miss our providential way;

As far from danger as from fear,

When love, almighty love, is near.

This second stanza tells us the most comforting truths about Israel’s Captain and Guide, who is our Captain and Guide also. May I add most assuredly, that God, the Holy Spirit, is our present Captain, wherever we may be. His attributes and affections are the same. From Mr. Wesley’s verse, there are four infallible facts upon which our faith can comfortably rest.

The first infallible fact is this.

By Thy Unerring Spirit Led.

Our Captain will not make a mistake on any journey. Keep your eyes on the cruise liners of which I spoke. Let’s fix our gaze on one liner, any one of them, regardless of the place in the world from which it has sailed. Think about this for a moment. The majority, if not all the passengers, are travelling this path to the island where I live, for the first. Be it widely known however, that this is definitely not the case with the captain of the vessel. He has sailed here before in all kinds of weather. He knows the path to the sea-port in Bridgetown like the back of his hands. When he captains his vessel of tourists, and brings them into our island, he never errs in destination. For example, he never makes a mistake with any other of the nearby islands, no matter how similar they may be.

I ask you therefore, if this is true of a captain with a human mind, subject to all the ramifications of human frailty and fragility, how much more unerring will our Captain be?

Our Captain Holy Spirit, is unerring, not just because He is Spirit, but because He has already traversed any path that we are now travelling. Not only that, but when He travelled the path, He conquered and became Lord and Master of all, in all Spirit and in all Truth. When we are told that Jesus was tempted in every single point as you and I, it is because He literally travelled such paths, all of them, and was victorious over every single one of them.

And do not be deceived about this. He also travelled free, easy paths, when He was left for a time without being tempted or harassed by the devil. In other words, He knew joyful, carefree days, as you and I, and He also conquered in them also. He never let the evil spirits of pride and self-aggrandizement take root in His mind and heart. He never became giddy-headed, taking all things unto Himself and forgetting, to give all thanks and glory to Father God.

All we are acknowledging by faith and faith alone, is that our Captain, who is now with us in Spirit, is unerring. If He who does not ever err, is your Captain and Guide and you know, in all honesty that you are being obedient and following Him, then what’s your problem?

What’s your problem, when your life you commit,

All to the unerring Holy Spirit?