Occasionally, I entertain a tiny regret that we don’t own a house by the water. I breathe a prayer; “Lord I don’t think this is covetousness—is it? Just a longing. It wouldn’t really matter whether it was on a lake or at the ocean, or even on a hill with a sweeping view of a watery horizon. Okay, I know I’m being unreasonable.”

Prices show that everyone else seems to have the same dream. Fortunately, we live within a few miles of the shore of Lake Ontario, a lake so large as to be almost an inland sea. We c an put together a picnic and drive down to a local park where we claim a picnic table and then—well—just relax. Depending on the weather, we may sit and watch the waves gently lap the shore or froth and foam in a disciplined uproar of sound and fury. Sometimes we meander along the beach picking up the odd shell, pebble, bit of polished glass or grotesque piece of driftwood. Often, we watch gulls and terns dive and wheel. But usually, we’ll just let the rhythm of the waves wash over us in soothing ripples of sound.

An informal survey I’ve conducted over the years seems to indicate that expanses of water captivate all kinds of people. At every beach I’ve ever visited people sit or stand facing the water. I’ve never yet seen anyone with his back to the ocean—except momentarily. Even sunbathers lie where they can peek at the water from time to time. Water that stretches toward the horizon exerts a mysterious power.

Water’s fascination is not only explained by the opportunity it affords to swim or boat or fish or snorkel. No, it speaks to us of something more elemental and seemingly infinite. Great expanses of water, particularly the ocean, speak to me of God. “The sea is his, for he made it.”[1] They illustrate the unfathomable greatness of God who alone “treads on the waves of the sea.”[2]

The immensity of the ocean can make us feel like an ant climbing Mount Everest. It stretches from horizon to horizon. It circles the earth. It plunges into depths unexplored by mankind. “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”[3]

We clear the forests and plough the fields and carve out roads, but no one can either tame the sea or domesticate the Almighty. The Lord reminded Job of this reality. “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?”[4]

God alone can tame the unruly waves of the sea. “O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? . . . You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.”[5] The Lord of the sea is Lord of all, the sovereign ruler of the universe whose authority and power towers above our petty rivalries and political maneuverings. He, and no other, can solve our national dilemmas, dispel our personal despair and soothe our troubled hearts.

The waves of the sea murmur incessantly about the irresistible power of God. “The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice.”[6] No diver beneath the surface of the sea can ignore its laws. No seacoast can ignore the sea’s anger. No swimmer can thumb its nose at its dangers. No ship may sail its expanse without submission to its rules. Infinitely greater than the force of the sea is the might of God. “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.”

The sea speaks of mystery, not only from its unreachable depths but also along every shore. There are shells to discover: what creature inhabited this spiral palace? Driftwood to examine: how many waves did it take to transform this into an octopus? A myriad of coloured pebbles to inspect: how many centuries did it take to round their fractured edges? Perhaps a nugget or two of coloured glass—amber or jade or diamond: what could be their provenance? A bit sculpted wood. What schooner lost a spar? Like the mysterious sea, “How unsearcheable [are] his (God’s) judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”[7] 

We can let the soothing sound of waves lapping on the shore do their work. Sometimes we pick up a book. Sometimes—I hope more and more often—we let the waves remind us of the greatness of our Lord. Infinite in power. Mysterious and unsearchable in glory. Sovereign in authority. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! . . . For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”[8]

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I bow before you. When troubles overwhelm me, the future seems bleak or events spiral out of control remind me of waves on the sea. Father, fill me with awe as I contemplate again your infinite power and sovereign authority. Lord Jesus, you who stilled the sea and walked on water, calm my anxious fears and help me to walk with you, hand-in-hand. Wind of the Spirit blow through my life in refreshing power.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. If I can help you spiritually, let me know. Further articles, books, and stories at:  Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ; Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)

[1] Psalm 95:5

[2] Job 9:8

[3] Psalm 145:3

[4] Job 38:8-11

[5] Psalm 89:8,9

[6] Psalm 93:3

[7] Rom. 11:33,34

[8] Rom. 11:33,36