Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 3, Verse 4 “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.”

James jumps from the relatively smaller horse to larger things like a ship. Ships are driven, moved, by strong winds. But the winds do not control where the ships go because they are fitted with a rudder. Comparatively speaking the rudder is very small compared to the ship itself. It is also small in comparison to the power of the wind. In spite of the strength of the wind or the size of the ship, the rudder in the hands of a pilot guides the ship to where the pilot desires.

We can see the argument coming even before James makes it. Something small can have the power to control something larger and more powerful.

Task for Today: Think of your mind as the pilot of a ship and your body as the ship. How will you get your body to its desired port? James is telling you that you control your course at sea by how you control your tongue. While you’re thinking about it, why don’t you do a tongue check. You know how it should be set. Is it? Do you have it under control?