Are
you a water person? I’m not, Oh I love
to look at a beautiful peaceful lake, and I like to take a good warm shower –
but I’m not thrilled about being in a swimming pool, and I’m scared to death of
being in a lake where I can’t see the bottom, or the ocean where the waves push
me around.
I
remember one time we were out on a lake with some friends. They were all swimming around, and jumping
off the side of the boat. Being the
chicken that I am, I said I’d rather stay in the boat. That didn’t go over well with this particular
group of friends and after a whole bunch of badgering, I consented to get in
the water – with a life jacket, and an inner tube.
At
that point, though, the fear took over and I struggled to stay afloat – I know,
if I’d just relaxed I would have been fine, but as it was, I went under, due to
all my panic and splashing. That’s
pretty amazing to almost drown with a life jacket on and holding on to the
inner tube for dear life. Sometimes our
fears in life are just as unreasonable.
When
you’re on a beach looking at waves coming in to the shore, or when you look at
a picture of the ocean, do you think of those waves as more than water?
Waves,
one after another, wash up on the shores of our lives. They are the events that come unrelentingly,
minute by minute, day by day (like the waves do.) They may change their shapes, but seem to go
on forever.
Some
are turbulent, some calm, some destructive, or some refresh you with their
coolness.
Think
about the waves of your life.
You
were a baby, a child, an adult, a senior citizen – you’ve lived through moves,
marriages, children, illnesses, and death of loved ones. These events were the waves washing up on the
shore of your life. Sometimes they were
gentle and pleasant waves, and sometimes they played havoc with your
world.
But one
big thing that we need to remember about this ocean of life is that someone is
in control. That someone – our Father,
creator, watches the waves.
Sometimes
He changes the course of their flow. Sometimes
He shields us, if the waves would be hurtful.
At those times He’s the rock that we can stand on – the safe place in
the storm. Sometimes God stands beside
us on the sand and steadies us so that the particularly violent waves don’t wash our feet out from under us.
And sometimes He carries us out of
the way when the tidal waves of our world would destroy us.
Sometimes
He revels with us in the cool refreshment of gentler waves. He’s there to help and to guide, but He’s
also there to enjoy the relationship we have with Him.
Do you
ever think about God walking through this life with you – splashing through the
waves with you? Do ever think that He
actually enjoys being with you?
Picture
yourself on the seashore; you’re sitting on the sand as the waves come in. It’s a hot day and the cool ocean brings
refreshment. God is by your side and
you’re laughing and talking about the stuff the surf is bringing as it washes
over you.
Then
picture the waves bringing something that’s not so much fun, that’s even maybe
pretty awful. Picture the waves washing over you threatening to cover you, to
pull you out into the ocean. But you aren’t afraid. After all, the one who is with you in the
waves is the one who made that ocean – there is no need to fear.
He made the waves – the waters
Remember
Genesis 1 (NIV) "in the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was
over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
God created the ocean, the waves, and the water.
And
God can control the waves – the waters.
Mark 4 tells us how Jesus calmed the storm.
Also
remember that He is with you in the waves, in your life, on your
walk.
Isaiah 30:31 (NIV) says
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind
you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Because He cares for you, you don’t have to
worry about what the waves will bring into your life.
In 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) we read "Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in
due time. . . . "
So as you think about
the waves in the ocean and lakes, and you think about the waves that have
washed up on the shores of your life, changing
it – be sure to remember -
He made the waves – He’s
the creator
He can control the waves
– He’s all powerful
He’s with you in the
waves – it’s a relationship
He cares for you – It’s
His love
