Waves of Life

Do you remember when you entered a swimming pool for the first time? Maybe it was tiptoeing in the shallow end of the pool. Maybe you were given some time to warm up to the water. Maybe you freaked out. Maybe you loved it.

All along, though, there was that curiosity of what lied ahead at the deep end of the pool. The part where you knew you wouldn’t be able to touch the bottom. Would you sink? Would you valiantly swim to the edge? Would you be like Peter in the Bible and attempt to walk on it?

What about the proverbial deep end of the pool?

You know those moments . . . those moments when you’re under stress due to so many different things . . . hiccups in relationships, anxieties of accomplishing school work, or looming deadlines at your job. Or maybe it’s those times when you know God is calling you somewhere, some place very specific, but the vision is much bigger than you. You feel like a fish out of water. How do you swim in that pool, let alone survive it? How do you swim when the natural tendency is that of flight? You question if it is really God’s will? Is He listening? Does He care about what you’re facing?

In the 42^nd Chapter of the Biblical book of Psalms, the author writes,

Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

All your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

Though realizing the overwhelmingness of the situation, he goes on,

By day the LORD directs his love,

At night his song is with me—

A prayer to the God of my life.

In those moments in our lives, though we don’t always see or feel Him, God has given us a lifeline to guide and protect us. We can become so consumed with the moment or the situation that we can easily lose sight that He has come alongside us. That He is with us.

An often-shared Bible story in Matthew 8 illustrates this so well. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat in the middle of the lake. A large and furious storm hits and the boat becomes unsteady in the crashing waves. The disciples become terrified and rather angry with Jesus, as Jesus is resting comfortably. In a panic, they wake him up and Jesus calmly takes authority over the situation. In that moment, Jesus shows that He does care about the disciples. And the disciples realize He is God.

Yes, “the wind will roar and the waves will crash upon us”, we may feel like we are in “over our heads”, but just maybe it is because He has you right where He wants you. He will never let you go.