10/10/2026
“It is He that sits above the circle of the earth.” Isaiah 40:22 — THE TRUE STORY OF WHY COLUMBUS SAILED WEST AND FOUND AMERICA by Woody Jenkins of Central City News — On Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, we again celebrate Columbus Day, a national holiday intended to remind us of the greatness of Christopher Columbus and his remarkable achievement in discovering America.
Today the media specialize in running down everything good about America, especially the men whose achievements and principles made this nation great. In the media and many textbooks, Christopher Columbus is portrayed as selfish and evil. His discovery of America is dismissed as historically inaccurate. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.
Columbus was a model of persistence, determination, and courage. While it is true that other Europeans undoubtedly visited America before Columbus, their visits had no impact, either on America or on Europe. It was Columbus’ explorations and discoveries that brought Europeans to the New World and led to the explosion of human liberty that is today the United States of America.
What is almost impossible to discover in the media or in public school textbooks are the deeply spiritual reasons which led Columbus to embark on his voyages.
Today, many Christians like to believe that God has His hand on America. But that belief is not something they simply made up! It began with Christopher Columbus. In 1828, Washington Irving’s biography of Columbus popularized the myth that Columbus had difficulty obtaining support for his first voyage because most European monarchs believed the world was flat. But that is not true.
Maritime navigation in the late 1400’s relied on the stars and the curvature of a spherical earth. Ancient Greeks and scholars in the Middle Ages understood that the earth was spherical.
Eratosthenes correctly estimated the circumference of the earth in the 3rd century BC. Sailors in Columbus’ time feared travelling west but, for most, it was not fear of falling off the edge of the earth. Rather, reasonable estimates of the distance to China and the East Indies were greater than could be reached by sailing ships of the day.
Columbus correctly understood that he could reach China and the East Indies by sailing west. His mistake was in thinking that the earth is much smaller than it actually is. That mistake in calculation led to the discovery of a New World!
According to Columbus, it was the hand of God which guided him to conceive his first voyage and which protected him along the way.
In 1501 and 1502, Columbus wrote his Book of Prophecies. Here in his own words is how he explained how it all began:
“It was the Lord who put it into my mind, (I could feel His hand upon me), the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures...”
“I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvelous Presence.”
“For the ex*****on of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. It is simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah* had prophesied…” Isaiah 40:22 said, “Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? It is He that sits above the circle of the earth.”
"No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His holy service. The working out of all things has been assigned to each person by our Lord, but it all happens according to His sovereign will, even though He gives advice. Oh, what a gracious Lord, who desires that people should perform for Him those things for which He holds Himself responsible! Day and night, moment by moment, everyone should express their most devoted gratitude to Him.”
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When Isaiah wrote, "It is He that sits above the circle of the earth," who could have understood what was meant by the words "above the circle of the earth"?
Yet, Columbus understood and risked everything to prove those words were true!
In 1969, man stepped on the moon. When he looked back at the earth, he could see "the circle of the earth" for the very first time! Columbus proved the earth was round, and from the perspective of the moon, man could plainly see it. So now we can know the true meaning of the words from Isaiah: "It is He that sits above the circle of the earth."
Columbus did not know all the facts about his journey. He didn’t need to. He trusted in God, went on faith, and let God’s hand guide him. As a result, he discovered a New World, where our forefathers broke from the feudalism and tyranny of Europe and created a new nation conceived in liberty.
So today we celebrate Columbus Day, hopefully with new understanding of the greatness of the man and the meaning of his mission.
Copyright 2026 by Woody Jenkins.
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