He-Said-She-Said, A Prayer Hug – He Said | Tight-Fisted – She Said

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 (NIV)

When it comes to sailing, I’m navigationally challenged and spiritually stuck. For the past twenty years I’ve served as the poster child for bumbling boaters, periodically contributing a column called Hard Aground to any boating publication willing to pay a few pennies.

Here are a few nautical terms which you won’t find in Chapman’s book of seamanship. Running aground: The act of sounding the bottom with your boat’s keel. Chart: A nautical map that shows what you just hit. Bar: A long, low-lying spit of sand or mud, usually awash, used to snag a boat’s keel. Sailors in large numbers can be found on (and sometimes in) bars.

Because of my vast experience in these matters, I know the relief a skipper feels when another vessel pulls near and offers a tow. Sometimes a hard tug is all it takes to get my boat floating again. But other times, like say when I’ve run out of fuel, sucked sand through the engine’s water pump, or fouled the plugs, a tug is not enough. At those times, I need a hug.

In nautical terms, a hug is when a boat pulls along side, lashes itself to the stranded vessel, and powers the boat to a safe port. This is what Job did for his friends. He prayed for them and covered their folly with his righteousness and wisdom.

In the preceding verses, God told Job’s friends: “I am angry with you because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job, a broken and bankrupt man, brought his friends before God and begged that God would have mercy on them.

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