A prayer you can pray right now
A Prayer for Those Who Work at Sea
The sea does not care about your schedule or your family or your fear. You work weeks and months away from land, on decks that pitch in the dark, in weather that can turn deadly without warning. The isolation is its own kind of storm: the missed birthdays, the spotty signal home, the same faces in the same small quarters for a long haul. Whether you fish, crew a cargo ship, work an oil platform, or sail the merchant routes, you know the beauty and the terror of great waters that most people only see from a beach. Before the next watch, before the next crossing, you can bring the whole hard life of it to the God who made the sea and holds it in His hand.
“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;”Psalm 107:23
“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”Psalm 107:29
“Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”Psalm 107:30
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”Mark 4:39
A prayer you can pray
Father, You made the sea and every creature in it, and out here I feel both its beauty and its power. Keep this vessel and this crew. When the storm rises and the waves come over the deck, be near, and if it is Your will, make the storm a calm and still the waves. Bring us safely to our desired haven. Guard us through the long watches and the deep exhaustion, and keep our minds sharp when a moment of carelessness could cost a life. Hold my family close while I am away, and comfort the loneliness that the distance brings. Provide for the reason I am out here at all. And when I am afraid in the dark of the open water, remind me that You are Lord even of the sea. In Jesus name, amen.
How to pray this
Pray this before a crossing, on watch, or when the weather turns. Psalm 107 could be the seafarer's psalm; it speaks of those who go down to the sea in ships and do business in great waters, and it promises a God who makes the storm a calm so the waves are still, and brings the weary to their desired haven. Carry those words when the swells rise. For the fear itself, remember that Jesus spoke to a storm and said, Peace, be still, and the wind ceased. Pray with your crewmates when you can; men who face the sea together and entrust it to God stand watch with steadier hearts, and look out for one another through the long haul away from home.
The One who hears this prayer
Jesus was often near the water, and He called fishermen to follow Him, men who knew the sea's danger in their bones. One night a storm nearly swamped their boat while He slept, and when they woke Him in terror, He stood and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still, and there was a great calm. He is not a stranger to the fear of the deep; He is its Master. When you work the water and place your crew in His hands, you are trusting the One before whom even the sea grows quiet, who is present in the storm and in the loneliness, and who can bring you home.
Who is Jesus? · Begin with Jesus · Ask someone to pray with you
Questions people ask
How do I pray when a real storm hits at sea?
Cry out to God plainly, the way sailors always have; He is not far from the pitching deck. Psalm 107 tells of seafarers in exactly your danger and of the God who makes the storm a calm and stills the waves, and Jesus Himself said to a raging sea, Peace, be still. Ask for that stilling if it is His will, ask for the safety of the whole crew, and then do your job with everything your training gave you. Prayer and seamanship are partners in a storm, not rivals.
The isolation and time away is unbearable. What do I pray?
Tell God how heavy the loneliness is; the long separation from everyone you love is one of the hardest parts of this life, and He does not minimize it. Ask Him to hold your family close while you are gone and to comfort you in the empty hours far from land. Pray for the connection you can get when the signal allows, and for the endurance to finish the haul. You are not as alone as the horizon makes you feel; the God who fills the sea is with you on it.
How do I keep my faith alive so far from any church?
Bring that hunger to God; wanting to stay near Him out on the water is itself a good sign. You do not need a building to worship. Carry Scripture or an audio Bible, keep a rhythm of prayer through your watches, and gather with any believing crewmates you can find, even two or three, because Christ promises to be present where they meet. Pray on deck, under the stars His hand made. Ask Him to hold your faith steady until you are back among His people on land, and lean on your home church from afar.