Recently, my wife and I spent a weekend in New England and we went to see the Boston Harbor, which houses the USS Constitution. This ship was built in the 1780s and is still actively commissioned as part of the United States Navy. The USS Constitution was built from what was called “North Carolina” or “Carolina Oak”—live oak that had a density so substantial that cannon balls would bounce off of it. That’s how it got the nickname “Old Ironsides.” The vessel is now in dry dock.

While there, the Lord began speaking to me about “dry dock.” Dry dock occurs when a vessel is taken out of its normal surroundings in order to examine what has happened below the waterline. In the days to come, I believe God wants you to consider “dry docking” your own leadership vessel to see if it’s time to come aside for the purpose of giving attention to the things in your life that have happened below the waterline, things that could eventually compromise the vessel. 

After the USS Constitution had been in commission for about twenty years, this vessel, which had been nimble and easily able to change course, began to slow down. When it was first put into dry dock, ten wagonloads of barnacles were removed from its bottom. Barnacles are living crustaceans with a glue-like substance that attaches itself to a vessel. If these crustaceans are not removed, these barnacles begin to grown a hair-like substance that almost looks like a beard. Sailors and professionals in this industry know this as “Satan’s Beard.”  It’s a long trail of stuff that slows the vessel down, and if not removed, the vessel will never return to its original precision. However, when a vessel is put into dry dock, it must be done with great precision in order to depressurize the vessel at the proper rate. If it’s depressurized too quickly, the overall integrity of the vessel can be compromised.

One thing often talked about in the study of dry dock is the structural integrity of a vessel. There’s a main support system that runs on the base of the boat—somewhat like the sternum to your rib cage—that supports the entire structure. After a period of time, this main support can have two things go wrong with it. The first thing that can go wrong is called “hogging.” This is when the support system begins to bend upward instead of remaining the chief support system. It can sometimes deflect up to a foot out of place. Another thing that can happen is called “sagging,” which is when the main support begins to bow downward. Sometimes this happens because of the pressure on the vessel. If attention is not given to these sorts of things, the vessel can ultimately be compromised and sink.

While studying these things, I was shown that some have been through battles and survived the encounters, but there’s been damage done inside. Some of us have something in our main structural support system that God wants to correct and adjust—those residual experiences that sometimes come as a result of battle fatigue or warfare. God wants to get your attention to adjust those things and relieve the anxiety and pain that you may not even know you are experiencing. God wants to sail vessels into dry dock for a period of time not to retire you, but to repair and restore you. God wants our attention, and He wants to steer us into a place where He can alleviate the pressures, activities, and the constant increase in our schedules. This will allow us to give the proper attention to preparing for the battles that are to come. 

I am fully persuaded that Jesus is in the process of building His church. The best way to complement what He is doing is to discern what the Spirit of God is speaking. When Jesus gave Peter insight into what his activities would be on the earth in that day and in the time to come He said, “I will build my church.” Jesus is still doing that today. We are on the road to seeing the glorious church unfold, and we are called to be builders in the kingdom of heaven. However, we need to be keenly attached to what God is doing because if we are building something that He’s not building, our labor will be in vain. 

            

As we participate with God in this endeavor, He wants to influence the choices that we make with regard to our schedule and the activities that we involve ourselves in. He wants to alter your schedule because He wants to speak something to you that you will not hear unless you come aside. Some of the confusion, disillusionment, and disorientation in this season can be alleviated if we will come aside and hear what He has to say. Sometimes in a season of your life, God asks you just to be faithful, not necessarily fruitful. However, that doesn’t mesh well with the general ideas we have about life, but here we are in 2017 and I believe God is asking if He might have influence over your schedule.

Matthew 20:17 says, “Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them…”  Throughout 2017, the Lord wants to speak to his leadership team and impart to them critical information for what is about to unfold in their lives.  Had the disciples been able to properly understand what Jesus was telling them about his crucifixion, death, and resurrection, they would have navigated through the next three difficult days more easily. God not only wants our attention, but His desire is to make necessary repairs in us for the things that have happened below our waterline. This is so we are more prepared for the coming battles. Without these important adjustments in our lives, our effectiveness will be limited. 

It is interesting to note that recently, the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy, just finished her season in dry dock and has once again been released to set sail in the open seas.  Let’s respond to the invitation from the Lord to “come aside” so we will be fully prepared for what is to come!