Ferrying Across the Divide

 “Those who left you are falling apart!

    Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.

But I’m in the very presence of God—

    oh, how refreshing it is!

I’ve made Lord God my home.

    God, I’m telling the world what you do!” (Psalm 73:27-28 MSG)

My grandma lived by the side of a little river in a remote part of India. The roads ended on the opposite side of the river from her house. Back in the day, there were no bridges across this section of the river. The only way to reach her was by riding on a punt boat. These watercrafts were like large canoes with wooden planks for seats. The ferryman propelled the boat by pushing against the muddy bottom of the riverbed using a long bamboo pole. This was hard work. The ferryman was always up before sunrise and on-call through the night. 

As a child, I never thought about the ferryman who helped me get across the river. All I cared about at that time was getting into my grandma’s warm embrace, eating whatever she had prepared, and looking at her beaming face. But now, forty years later, the image of the ferryman suddenly popped into my mind as I pondered the Scriptures. I wonder what kept him going. I doubt it was for pay, honor, or appreciation.

 

I have an innate desire to draw close to God. I also sense a calling to convey others into His presence. I have to keep pushing against the muddy bottoms in order to cross the divide. This is hard work. I have to be willing and available to do this job at all times, under all circumstances. What shall I do when I am tired or feeling unnoticed? I need to remember the purpose of my work: to be near to God and ferry others to His grace and mercy; to know Him intimately and to make Him known.