If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored.

Job 22:23

Christopher Columbus had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered a great, unknown land. God had given him a vision, and he had carried it out. But just as he was almost back to Spain, he had to battle this terrible storm. Columbus knew God must have a reason. But what was it?

The answer lay deep within Columbus’s heart. God saw that the sailor was becoming very proud. Columbus deserved to be called admiral. He had discovered a new land and a new people. Soon the admiral would become rich and famous. God was concerned that he would let those things take priority in his life. He was concerned that Columbus would forget his true mission. God wanted Columbus to return to Spain in obedience and humility to Him. Such a bad storm should have warned Columbus to search his own heart and seek forgiveness.

Would Columbus hear God’s message? Would he return to Spain relying on the Almighty? Or would riches and power become his gods?

———

The storm raged on for nearly a week. When at last it came to an end, Columbus and the sailors sighed with relief.

And then, toward evening, a blessed sight appeared. Far away on the northeast horizon lay the Azores, a group of tiny islands off the coast of Portugal. The explorers had made it home. The date was Tuesday, February 19, 1493. Columbus and his men stopped at the islands to rest.

When the Niña set out again, she ran into another monster storm. The little ship once again battled fierce winds and rain. This time her sails blew away. For five days the storm pushed the ship through the water. Then on the sixth day, the crew spotted land. It was the coast of Portugal.

But now the winds were blowing the ship straight toward the rocky coast. If the ship hit the rocks they would all drown. Admiral Columbus knew they had only one slim chance. If he could steer the vessel into the nearby River of Lisbon, they would be safe. But to do this he had to turn the ship broadside into the wind. That was terribly dangerous, because the wind could blow her over. God would have to help them.

The admiral wiped the rain from his eyes. Could he do it?

“Lean her to starboard!” Columbus yelled to the helmsman. “Keep her to the right. Yes, that’s it. Now hold her there—steady, steady as she goes.”

The Niña slowly turned toward the coast. But the wind and waves kept pushing her closer and closer to the rocks.

“Hold her now,” Columbus shouted. “Don’t let go! We have to make it to the river.”

The ship keeled over so far that water came rushing over the starboard side.

“She’s tipping over!” the helmsman yelled.

“We’re going to drown!” another sailor screamed.

The nervous admiral held his breath. For a moment she held steady, and then, slowly but surely, the Niña began to straighten up as the storm howled around them. Just then a large wave pushed her directly into the mouth of the Lisbon River!

It was a miracle. They had made it. The sailors clapped and danced with joy. Columbus sighed with relief—God had been with them.

The storm continued for a few days and kept them from sailing home right away, but on March 15, 1493, Columbus and his sailors finally entered the harbor of Palos, Spain. Good news awaited them. The Pinta had been blown to the coast of Africa, but she was now on her way home! It was time for a great celebration.

Columbus traveled to Barcelona, the winter home of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The city was prepared for him. Colorful flags decorated the streets. Spanish capes hung on the sides of the buildings. Women threw rose petals from the balcony windows. People crowded the streets.

Columbus led the small procession on horseback. His officers, some cargo wagons, and two Indian interpreters who had come home with him followed along behind. The admiral sat tall and erect in his saddle. One hand held the reins. The other rested proudly on his hip. As the parade reached the palace, the crowd cheered. Columbus waved.

That evening, Columbus and his group entered the grand throne room, where marble columns glowed in the light of hundreds of candles. As Columbus approached the throne, the monarchs stood to greet him. The crowd was amazed—no one had ever seen them do that before.

Columbus knelt to kiss their hands, but they made him stand. And then they ordered a special chair to be brought for him. King Ferdinand began, “We are most anxious to hear about your voyage, Commander.”

The court listened as Columbus related his story. He told about the long journey across the Atlantic. He described San Salvador and the kind natives. He told them about Española and losing the Santa Maria. He introduced them to the Indians he had brought back with him. They were wearing their native clothes and carrying strange creatures that the King and Queen had never seen before—large jungle rats, brightly colored parrots, and dogs that could not bark.

Columbus next had a large oaken chest brought in and placed before Ferdinand and Isabella.

“Your Majesties,” he announced, “it is with great pleasure that I present this to you and to Spain.” And then Columbus threw open the lid.

Everyone’s eyes opened wide. The chest was filled with gold! There were masks and crowns of pure gold, and bright gold jewelry shone in the candlelight. The chest even held gold nuggets. Anyone who had doubted Columbus before did not doubt him now. He had made a great discovery—the Indies had gold!

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella stared at the contents of the oak chest. They both stood and then fell to their knees, lifting their faces toward heaven. In the throne room of Spain that night, everyone gave thanks to Almighty God.

Columbus was a hero. He had kept his promise to Spain by discovering a new land, a new people, and great riches. Now Spain would keep her promise to him. The king and queen officially titled Columbus “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” They pronounced him governor of the new land. And they gave him permission to receive one-tenth of all the riches.

Columbus had kept his promise to God, but something was changing deep within his heart. In appreciation for what he did, Spain gave the admiral 335,000 maravedis. This was a lot of money, but it was not enough for Columbus. He wanted more. He demanded the 10,000 maravedis that was to be paid every year to the first person that had sighted land on the voyage. The lookout aboard the Pinta had been the one that spotted land first, but Columbus stepped in and took the prize. The admiral was letting gold become his god.

———

The first voyage to the New World had been a success. On the second voyage across the Atlantic in 1493, seventeen ships and twelve hundred men accompanied Columbus. They dreamed of gold and adventure, but their dreams soon turned to nightmares.

When the ships arrived at the settlement of La Navidad, none of the settlers were there. The natives had killed all thirty-nine men! Columbus quickly found out what happened.

Soon after the Niña had sailed for Spain the year before, the settlers had started hurting the native women and stealing the Indians’ gold. The natives could not stop them. At last, the angry Indians ambushed the men, killing every one of them.

As governor of Española, Columbus now had some big problems. His men hated the natives for what they had done to the Spanish settlers. Also, they didn’t trust Columbus anymore. They no longer believed his stories of gentle natives and abundant gold. Columbus was losing his authority over them because he had lost their respect. How could he control them now?

The governor knew he had to do something, and he had to do it fast. But he did not think to get on his knees and pray. He did not think to ask his Heavenly Father to forgive him for his greed and selfishness. He tried to work things out by himself.

Gold, he thought to himself. I’ll start exploring for gold. That will make the men forget what has happened here.

So Columbus had the men search Española for gold. But everything went wrong. The heat spoiled their food. Disease-bearing mosquitoes plagued them, and many of the men became sick with terrible fevers. And no one found any gold.

Columbus had to come up with some gold, so he made the Indians pay a tax in gold. If they could not pay, the Spaniards punished them and treated them like slaves. Just fourteen years later, out of the original population of 300,000, there would only be 20,000 natives left. A massacre was taking place.

The governor decided to return home. He was worried about facing the King and Queen and telling them what was happening to the natives. Sure enough, when he arrived in Spain, he learned that the monarchs were very concerned about the Indians.

“Governor Columbus,” King Ferdinand began, “you must understand. We are responsible to God for the welfare of our people. And now these natives are also our people. This terrible treatment cannot continue. You must govern the Indians as we would govern them.”

Columbus sighed. He knew the King was right.

The King continued, “We must also talk about the gold. It’s true that we want you to find gold, because it would help our country. But we don’t want such riches at the expense of the Indians! Now see to it that our desires are carried out!”

The King and Queen knew they had to be firm with Columbus. He was a good explorer, but he was not proving to be a very good governor. He was proud and demanding. He spoke harshly and got mad easily. The people in the islands did not respect him. And he refused to take responsibility for what was happening. Yet, the monarchs let him return to the New World as soon as a small fleet of ships was ready.

After a long and terrible journey, the Spanish ships reached Española. Columbus discovered that rebellion had broken out among the men he had left on his earlier voyage. The settlers no longer wanted him to be governor, and he could not control the situation. Alarming reports went back to the King and Queen.

The Spanish monarchs had no choice but to replace Columbus as governor. They dispatched Francisco de Bobadilla, who carried a letter giving him authority to act as governor. When the new governor’s caravel arrived in Española, he discovered seven Spanish bodies dangling on ropes. Then he learned that five more were to be hanged the next morning. Immediately, Bobadilla installed himself as governor. But Columbus refused to honor the proclamation from the King and Queen.

“I am governor of these islands,” he informed Bobadilla. “This is my land. I discovered it. The King and Queen have no right to take away my authority!”

“Put this man in chains!” Bobadilla ordered. “I am sending him back to Spain for trial.”

Columbus remained in chains until he reported to the King and Queen in December of 1500. They were shocked and ordered the chains removed. But they did not appoint him governor again. Columbus begged them to send him back to the New World. A year later, they permitted him to go, but only to explore for gold.

Once again, Columbus was looking for gold. It had become the most important thing in his life. In Columbus’s heart, God now held second place.

Despite the King and Queen’s command that he not sail to Española, Columbus sailed directly for the island. The governor refused to let him enter, so he sailed to Cuba. Then he sailed southeast toward Central America. The trip usually took three or four days, but strong headwinds stretched the trip into thirty-eight days! God Himself seemed to be blocking the voyage. Yet Columbus never considered that he might not be doing God’s will.

The four caravels proceeded down the coast of what are now Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica in Central America. At last, in Costa Rica, Columbus struck gold. He discovered gold fields in which ore lay on top of the ground. His men could dig for gold with their bare hands!

Columbus decided to build a settlement near the gold fields. But once again he encountered trouble with the natives. Upon learning that the Indians were planning a raid, he attacked first. He took many hostages, including the Indians’ chief.

Not long after this, Columbus had a frightening experience. It happened one day when some of his crew sailed up a river to get water and supplies. The admiral remained behind with the other ships at the river’s mouth. That afternoon, he heard shouting upriver, followed by shooting. Then everything became strangely quiet. By nightfall, Columbus saw dead bodies floating down the river. They were the bodies of his crewmen.

Alone and frightened, the admiral did not know what to do. He climbed up the highest mast on the ship and frantically yelled, “Help me! Someone please help me!”

Columbus later fell asleep in his cabin. While he was sleeping, a Voice spoke to him!

“O foolish man,” the Voice said. “How slow you are to serve your God! He was watching over you since you were born. He gave you the Indies and the keys to the Ocean Sea. You have gained fame among all Christians. Turn back to Him. Admit your mistakes. His mercy is infinite.”

The Voice was kind and gentle. Columbus knew it was God, and that He spoke the truth. When he awoke, he cried. But sadly, Columbus did not ask God’s forgiveness. He continued searching for gold. It seemed gold was all that mattered to him.

Finally, Columbus returned to Spain. He was now fifty-three years old and in bad health. On Ascension Day 1506, Columbus received the last rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Then he went to be forever with the Savior whose name he carried.

———

Christopher Columbus had allowed gold to steal his heart. But God still used him to open the door for the Gospel to enter the New World. God’s plan for America was going forward. Now this new land needed to hear the message of Christ. It was time for God to send others.