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Equip This Vessel


boat for equip this vessel pixabay

I met a friend of a friend on New Year’s Day for a meeting of sorts. We both have a passion for the Lord and for writing so we met to share ideas. She has two possibly three books she is currently writing, and she wants to learn more on writing a blog. I write this blog and sense God is directing me to a write a book, so we are a good match.


Sitting across from me sipping Gatorade from a Mary Kay cup, Robin asked me to share my story of how I met the Lord, my life, family, work, and Red Chair Moments. When I finished, she sat back in her chair and said “I sense God giving me the word equip for you.” Then Robin shared with me the verse she read that morning:


“It is God who equipped me with strength and made my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights.” (Psalm 18:32-33)


Equip –  For the rest of the day I pondered that word. All throughout the day I asked God to show me what He wants me to learn. My answer came the next day in the January 2 devotion from Jesus Calling:

“Thus I equip you to face whatever the day brings.”


The more I thought about the word equip the more I realized it fits perfectly with anchor, God’s theme for my life this year.  I thought about how an anchor is a piece of equipment on a ship (vessel). When lowered, the anchor hold a vessel firmly in place. When hoisted, the anchor allows the vessel to move and embark onto new adventures.


“So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.  And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” (Jeremiah 18:3-4 ESV)


God uses the Parable of the Potter in Jeremiah 18 to describe God creating His children out of clay each for his specific use.  God created us to be serviceable and used for His purposes. When we mess up, (we’re only human) God doesn’t discard us. Rather, God’s strong hands continue to rework the clay into another vessel or pot. “In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you.”


“So I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.”

(Jeremiah 18:3-4 MSG)


I continued to research vessel in the Bible and found encouragement to equip me on my journey for 2015.


“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV)


I continued my research, now turning to the word spoken over me on New Year’s Day.


Equip: verb


To supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose.


To prepare someone mentally for a particular situation or task.


By now you know I  love researching the use and origin of words. I learned that the word equip is actually derived from the Old Norse or No

rth Germanic language (Viking language) of Iceland, Sweden, Norwegian countries in the 1300’s.   



The Old Norse word skip = our word for ship.


The Old Norse word for skipa = our word “to man a ship”.


The French word for “to man a ship” = equiper


The French word equiper = our early 16th century word for equip.


Whoa! Did you catch that? Equip is derived from the Old Norse (Viking) word for ship, meaning to man a ship!


I prayed. “Lord, I am Your vessel created by Your hands to accomplish Your specific purpose. Lord, don’t allow  me to become a useless vessel (Hosea 8:8 ESV) drifting along with no anchor. Lord, You are my Anchor. You are my Hope. When the storms of life come, You are the Ballast in my boat to keep me steady.  In You, I am equipped with strength, ready to do every good work. Lord, I am your vessel. Man, guide, and steer this vessel for Your purpose. In Jesus name, Amen.”


~April

redchairmoments@gmail.com

Photo credit courtesy of Pixabay

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