By: Elizabeth Louis
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream…
Above are the lyrics to a timeless nursery rhyme. Perhaps you sang it as a little one. The lyrics are to the point—get in your boat, row gently down the stream, you’ll be cheerful, and life will be fleeting or transient, similar to a dream.
Could life be as simple as getting in your boat, rowing down the stream, and cheerfully passing through life?
If you get in the boat and row the world’s way, following the world’s values and culture, I do not believe you will be cheerful, let alone enjoy your life to the degree your soul craves. Instead, you’ll get to the end of your life only to realize you have missed it. Like the song implies—life goes by quickly, like a dream.
Of course, the nursery rhyme doesn’t directly mention God, but we can use it as a practical analogy to describe our partnership with God.
Let Me Explain…
I’m in a season where the Lord is calling me to heavily rely on Him as my Shepherd. He is helping me break up with unhealthy levels of self-reliance, shame, and guilt and renewing my mind from the world’s economy and values to God’s economy and values.
Let me tell you, I have been “Miss. Independent” and fended for myself most of my life. I have used worldly standards to measure whether I’m doing life “correctly.” Needless to say, the revelations I’m learning have led me to many questions and diligently seeking the Word and God for answers.
I am not fond of ambiguity or subjectivity when looking for complex answers. I would prefer to put them in a mathematical equation, which would provide me with a linear answer. My research led me to ask the question, “Where’s the line in my part and God’s part?”
What Does the Bible Say?
The Bible does make it clear that we are to bring a healthy level of “self-reliance” into our relationship with the Godhead. We can’t expect God to do it all for us; instead, we are to work with God, wait patiently on Him, and follow what He tells us until He tells us to do something else.
I get that concept, but I wanted a clear-cut answer that would help me better understand the application and where the line is. Basically, I was after a deeper understanding.
A Practical Analogy
The other day, I came across this practical analogy used to describe humans’ partnership with God when it comes to true reliance. It goes like this:
Think of true reliance like rowing a boat.
- You are rowing (human effort), but you trust the current (God’s sovereignty) to guide and carry you to your destination.
- If you stop rowing, you drift aimlessly.
- If you row against the current, you exhaust yourself.
- The balance is rowing in cooperation with the current, trusting its direction but still participating.
My Reaction
When I first read that analogy above, I was like, WHAT!!!
The simplicity of it annoyed and frustrated me.
So many more questions popped up, most likely because I didn’t think it could be that simple, and at the time of reading the analogy, it seemed too simple—just like the ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT…
Faith in Action
Row and I’ll be happy? Say What?
It turns out this childhood song is accurate, but only when you have a heart that sincerely and diligently seeks the Lord and His will for your life.
We see this reality with Abraham in Genesis. God told Abraham to set up in a direction, but He didn’t tell him which direction to go (Genesis 12).
Abraham had to act on faith. He got in his boat and started rowing, trusting that God would lead him to the correct destination, which is precisely what God did.
For You and Me
It’s the same for you and I, my friend. God wants us to step out in faith, trusting Him more than we trust ourselves.
As you learn to lean on the Lord and trust Him beyond your own understanding, you will learn to trust Him more than yourself because He equips, leads, and produces the outcome. All God wants is your obedience, faith, and trust.
The Struggle of High Performers
It is easy for high performers to feel like all the weight, pressure, and responsibility is on their shoulders. This can lead them to become neurotic and fearful that they may miss the exit, encouraging them to believe the lie that they will miss God’s perfect will for their lives.
That’s upside down. Plus, with that perspective, you trust yourself more than God, making yourself big and God small.
It’s like this: God is in control of the outcome, and you’re in control of your effort, but God’s still going to help you with that, too, because He’s a good Father who always helps us in our parts.
Our Responsibility
We need to get in our boats and row, trusting that God will change the current and take us to His destination for our individual and collective Christian lives.
As we see the current change, we need to be proactive and submit to it with faith and trust propelling us. It is human nature to stray from the Lord’s path occasionally. Still, if you genuinely seek God and want to do His will, He will put you back on the right path by changing the currents.
Since we are to submit to Him and follow with trusting obedience, we are to willingly change directions when we notice the current shifts.
Seasons of Currents
Observing the speed of the currents can teach us much about our season of life. For instance, sometimes, we will be on a lazy river as the Lord leads us to rest (Psalm 23), and other times, we will be in a fast current that may even overwhelm us. However, as Isaiah 43:2 states, the waters will not sweep over you, and God will be with you, staying faithful and guiding you in the rushing waters.
The cool thing about this analogy is it also helps me perceive how fast or slow I should be going; I hope you’re beginning to see the same!
Rest and Trust
I am Type-A, so I want to fly through everything, but God is usually not in a rush like this. Therefore, the few times when the current is going fast, I know to row as fast as possible, trusting Him that I will arrive safely and that the Lord is my refuge, protecting me as He leads me to the springs of life-giving water.
However, when the current is more of a lazy river speed, I know to enjoy the downtime, resting and trusting in His timing, and staying obedient to do what He asks of me. There’s no need to row my booty off in a lazy river only to exhaust myself and lose control when the current picks up.
God’s Timing
I have learned the hard way that I can’t force God’s hand or make His will happen faster than He wants.
It turns out that life is as simple as getting into your boat, rowing down the stream, and singing songs of worship and praise to our Father in heaven because He directs the current to lead us to His will, honoring the promise that God will make your path straight.
It turns out He will do more than make your path straight. He will make the current take you where He wants you to be if you are searching Him with all of your heart.
Storms and Trust
This is excellent news! When your boat enters a storm, God is still with you and in control.
Think about it this way: If God changes the current to redirect your path when you stray, then that means you can absolutely trust Him when you are in a storm because He controls the current, the wind, the waves, and everything else.
The Purpose of Storms
The icing on the cake is that God uses that storm to grow and sanctify you. James 1 tells us that God uses trials or storms to refine us by making us mature, complete, and lacking nothing while He perfects our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Questions to Ask in a Storm
When hardship or suffering comes, and it will, instead of freaking out and focusing on the storm, choose to set your mind on pleasing and trusting God by asking Him these two questions:
- Who are you trying to be for me now that we are in this storm?
- What am I to do about it?
A God Who Cares
The first question is relational. Our God wants a deep relationship with you. He loves you and cares more about your heart and character than your comfort, so of course, He wants to play a role in your life. If you are in a storm, then most likely, He wants to play a new role for you. Perhaps God wants to be your provider, Shepherd, healer, friend, banker, or something else. All you have to do is ask Him who He’s trying to be for you.
The second question is a question of obedience. You are asking for your orders, and like a good soldier, you will carry them through, knowing and trusting that God is your safe tower.
A Final Reminder
Storms are indicators of God hoping to upgrade your character and life. Now, do not think materialism upgrades. Instead, think of storms as indicators that God wants to upgrade your life by giving you a promise and a provision. Again, this is excellent news and shows how much He loves you.
As I said, God cares more about your heart than your comfort. Don’t think of materialistic upgrades. They very well could result in that, too, but that’s not God’s focus. The actual upgrade that God wants to give you is to improve your character, mature you, increase your divine wisdom, improve your relationship with Jesus, and strengthen your faith. This will enable you to be obedient quickly, producing good fruit that manifests physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Next time you find yourself in a lazy river, gushing waters, or a hurricane, remember that you are safe and secure and can trust the Good Shepherd to lead you to safety while molding you to be more Christ-like.
Feeling Stuck and Drained, Even with All Your Success?
You’ve worked hard to get where you are, but something still feels off. The stress, fear of failing, and constant pressure are stealing your joy and leaving you empty.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The Kingdom Impact Accelerator is a mastermind for driven leaders like you who want to:
- Feel confident and clear about your purpose.
- Let go of fear and stress holding you back.
- Succeed in ways that truly matter—to you and to God.
This is your chance to stop just getting by and start thriving. Let’s see if it’s a fit for you.
