<p>3:4 <i>Behold the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, they are all the same turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the impulse of the steersman wills</i>- The figure of the ecclesia's leaders as the rider and the church as the horse is now transferred to that of a captain steering the ship. Again, emphasis is given to how relatively easy it is to control the direction of our spiritual lives and the whole ecclesia- by a dedicated concentration on the control of the tongue and the thinking behind it. The ships seem &quot;so great&quot; (translated &quot;mighty&quot; in Rev. 16:18); the flesh seems so vast and strong, the task of turning round a wayward ecclesia appears so impossible. They &quot;are driven of fierce winds&quot; representing the winds of false Judaist doctrine (Eph. 4:14), and the winds of the flesh and trials of life which beat upon the spiritual house of our lives and the ecclesia, as described in the parable of the house on the rock (Mt. 7:25-27). Note how the immature ecclesia is being likened to a ship blown about by the wind, and yet this was a foretaste of judgment day. Our experiences now are training for that day. The winds of the parable of Mt.7 were overcome by hacking away at the rock of our hard human heart in order to hear the sayings of Christ and put them into practice. It is significant that the winds of James 1:6 could be overcome by faith, which comes from the word. The wavering believer is likened there to a ship in trouble on a windy sea. The ship can be turned about &quot;Wherever the impulse of the steersman wills&quot;. The hint may be that there is a greater steersman in our lives than our own steel will, and He works by the impulse of the Spirit. The word for &quot;wills&quot; means 'intense desire or will', showing the great concentration of mental effort required by the captain of the spiritual ship. Again, the way to have a powerful will is to have our own personal will merged with that of God. The will of God is in the word (1 Pet.1:23; James 1:18 cp. John 1:13), and a saturation of the mind with the word will result in our mind becoming like that of God. Thus John 15:7 states the tremendous encouragement: &quot;If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done&quot;. Jesus does not say we must ask according to God's will- but according to our <i>own</i> will, because if the word abides in us then our will becomes that of God- and any prayer according to His will is heard (1 Jn. 5:14).</p>