“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).

Long ago, Thomas Kelly spoke about his experience of riding on a small riverboat in the treacherous waters of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Lake Ontario:

“I remember the first time I came down the St Lawrence River; as the Long Sault Rapids came in sight, all the passengers were intently looking at the rushing, foaming waters in the distance.  Soon the boat was brought to a halt and a man was taken on board.”

“He was an Indian, a man about 55, stalwart and strong, and I believe the only pilot that had ever successfully attempted to steer a vessel through those raging waters.  I watched him with peculiar interest, as he put his hands on the wheel and pointed the boat towards the rapids.  With hands busily working the wheel at times, and his eyes riveted, as it were, on some object ahead of him, he held that great vessel steady to its course; and as we were flying, with almost the rapidity of thought, I beheld, little more than an arm’s length from the boat, huge rocks protruding out of the water.”

I thought: ‘So HE brings us.’

“My dear friends, I plead with you to halt this morning, and put out the rope of faith, that Jesus, the great Pilot, may come on board.  You may be nearing agitated waters and dangerous rapids, which will wreck you for ever without His guidance.”