The Captains Chair

While listening to Mike’s message yesterday, I was reminded of something from my days in the Navy. I was an officer aboard a US Nuclear Powered Submarine.

On the sub, there is a room called the wardroom. It is the place that the officers eat their meals, hold meetings, etc. At the table there is a specific order that the officers sit. The CO is at the head of the table, the XO to his right, the next senior officer to his left, then it moves down the table with the most junior officer being in the chair farthest form the CO. There is one exception; the supply officer, no matter his rank sits at the foot of the table. This ordering is steeped in naval tradition. Naval tradition is very strong even in the modern nuclear powered navy.

Another tradition is that no one sits in the Captains chair. If he is not there, the chair remains empty. It is a visible symbol that he is ultimately in charge. If there are too many people to sit around the table, people will stand rather than sit in the Captains chair. It is sort of sacred.

I can remember one time having some midshipmen assigned to our sub for a “summer cruise”. Several of the junior officers came into the wardroom and found the midshipmen playing cards at the table. One of them was sitting in the Captains chair. They were quickly instructed in the naval tradition of the Captain’s chair. Had it been the Captain or XO (executive officer) who caught them, they might have received a severe tongue lashing.

How does this tie in to Mike’s message? Well his message was about how God is on the throne throughout the universe, except in our hearts. God lets us control who sits on that throne. It is rightfully his, and only he should sit there, but we like that midshipmen, sit there when we should not. God is gracious, and doesn’t give us the tongue lashing that we deserve when we sit in his chair. He just lets us sit there. Like that midshipmen, we need to learn that it is His chair, not ours.