Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17
Is the Bible true? Is it really the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God? After all there are a lot of sacred books. Why should I believe that this is the right one?
Matthew Maury, nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas", "Father of Modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology" and later, "Scientist of the Seas," ultimately became the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Maury was a devoted Christian who loved the Word of God and was committed to spending time there each day. In the 1850’as while in charge of the Depot of Charts and Instruments of the Hydrographic Office for the Navy from 1841 to 1861, he was reading Psalm 8 and was struck by an important truth. In the 8th verse of that chapter it stated that God had given man dominion over…
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
Psalm 8:8
He immediately saw the great practical significance of that verse, recognizing that there must be currents of water in the oceans just as Ecclesiastes 1:6 said there are wind circuits in the atmosphere.
Blowing toward the south, then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.
Ecclesiastes 1:6
Knowing the Bible held only truth, Maury determined to discover the paths in the seas and the wind circuits; utilizing the charts and log books he had available at the post God had placed him in.
Over several years he identified and plotted many of the wind circuits and ocean currents, such as the Gulf Current, the Japanese Current, the California Current, and others. The sailing ships of his day used these ocean currents and wind circuits, to reduce the travel time to cross the oceans, by as much as three weeks.
In Virginia there is a monument erected in his memory, with a plaque that reads:
“Matthew Fontaine Maury, Pathfinder of the Seas, the genius who first snatched from the oceans and atmosphere the secret of their laws. His inspiration… the Holy Scripture...”
Many would consider him a genius. But the truth is that he was just a simple, Bible-believing Christian who trusted the inerrancy of the Word of God."
