Spending time near bodies of water, like the ocean, always renews my spirit. I see and feel God’s presence in the living waters that He has created and blessed us with.
A week at the beach this summer brought me time to read some inspiring books and time to reflect on….
How the ocean reveals God’s love to me.
Doesn’t the ocean appear to be never ending? ….Just like God’s love for us! No matter what, His love for us never ends!
What about those rough waves? ….Through those rough patches in our lives, God is riding out the storm with us!
Do you ever get mesmerized by watching the tide just continually come in and go out? ….God’s love continually washes over us too!
Did you ever notice when the big waves come along how it first embraces whatever is in its way? …Just like God’s love is always ready to embrace us, even when we stray from Him.
What about when the ocean waters are more still and calm? …It reminds me of the peace we can find in God’s loving arms.
It is always engaging to just sit back and watch all the interactions of the people at the beach. One image that stuck in my mind was watching this one mother holding her baby, maybe about six months old. The mother would wrap her arms around the baby, holding the baby tightly as the waves washed over them. It reminded me of God embracing us keeping us safe during the storms of life that want to shake us.
The seagulls soaring in the sky are always a welcome sight for me. They remind me of the Holy Spirit ready to help us soar to new heights. A few of the days, it was really neat to see a seagull or two just sitting on top of the ocean water coasting along with the waves on the water. It reminded me how we need to just coast along with the Lord leading us.
Seeing footprints in the sand next to the water always reminds me of the familiar “Footprints in the Sand” poem reassuring me that yes, Jesus carries us through everything. And, yes, you can be sure I even tried to take pictures of footprints in the sand!
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This past week, it was a definite bonus to have two more opportunities to experience living waters.
The first was a mid week visit to Skaneateles Lake to a friend’s cottage. The person had a boat where six of us ended up taking a wonderful 50 minute boat ride up the lake, docked to have dinner in town, and then the return trip. It was especially lovely because we basically had the whole lake to ourselves so we were just boating on the open lake observing the many cottages, mansions, and points of interest on the coast line. On the way back, I got to sit in the front of the boat, compared to the back on the way up. Sitting in the front lends itself to a whole different perspective to God’s beautiful creation. It was just breath taking to encompass all of nature and to see the sunset glistening on the water. Soaking up the beauty of nature always reminds me of the presence of the Lord.
The third living waters experience was at a local county park at a reservoir where a couple from our church organized a gathering for food, fellowship, and boating if people wanted. Some people had kayaks so we were able to go out and enjoy time on the water. This particular day, the water was so calm and smooth. I have to add that the kayak I used was wonderful… It glided very nicely along the water compared to some kayaks. I was reminded of a boating excursion with my daughter one year that did not go so well. She still has bad memories of that encounter. So this day helped me realize I could actually kayak successfully! It was just such a peaceful experience that one couldn’t help but be blessed by the beauty and serenity of the water. It reminded me of the calmness we should have as the Lord is always with us…loving and guiding us.
I am thankful for the living waters we can see in this world that help me make the connection with Jesus, the true living water, who refreshes, renews, and revitalizes us!
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. –John 7:37-39 (NIV)
I love this. Felt like I could feel the sand, hear the birds & see the waves. Well done my friend!
Thanks so much, my friend, for blessing me with your words! I’m glad you were blessed.
I had not been in an ocean or lake (besides ankle deep wading) in over 30 years, until last week. Last week I rode the waves on a little beach in Lake Ontario for over 2 hours! So many thoughts! One was that I need to remember this – if I just let the water take me, The waves will gently rock me up and down. It didn’t matter if they were big or little waves. Trusting that and not panicking or imagining things that weren’t there allowed me to enjoy the ride. Ahhh. God’s got us!
When I started imagining, I became fearful and wanted to get out and the waves hit me hard…so I had to let go of those thoughts and trust – then the rocking continued❤️
I am so glad you shared that, Donna! How perfect and God’s perfect timing once again. When I saw the seagull on the water, those same thoughts came to mind about just riding the waves! A great reminder that yes, God has got us!! Blessings to you, my friend!
Christine, you definitely have the gift of seeing and experiencing God in nature! My kayak experience in Puerto Rico at the Bioluminescent Bay was both my “scariest” and most “amazing” all in one….to kayak in the pitch dark following our tour guide’s light was quite nerve-wracking. We had to go through a very rough marina along the way. I truly felt I might not make it to the end but had no way to go back! Plus I had to be brave because my son with me and he was scared. But when we finally got to the calm lagoon to see the glowing sea plankton and even touch it – was so incredible! God always delivers us to our destination, and always makes it worth the trip…..
Thanks so much for your kind words, Carol, and for sharing!! I love your story and agree that God always blesses! Sometimes I think it is a growing opportunity for us when we can’t do anything else but trust Him, especially when we have no way out! Thanks for sharing and thanks for faithfully reading.
I love how you use simple everyday things to express deep profound truths about God. Really enjoyed reading this. I am going to be using it in meditating on God’s love this weekend. Great post, God bless you.
Thank you so much for your kind, encouraging words, Lawrence. Yes, it is a blessing to try and see and share God in the simple, little things in this life. Blessings to you!
Never ending, deep, refreshing. 🙂
Happy weekend, Christine!
Indeed, Lux…just like God’s love for us! Blessings to you, Lux!
I love seeing and feeling God all around me. but I’m with you, especially at the water – ocean! So refreshing and inspiring! This is beautiful
Amen, Marie! I know we definitely do have the love of the ocean in common, among many other things! 🙂 Thanks for reading and blessing!
Nature will always lead me to God’s grace, beauty and just plain awesomeness. Thank you for sharing.
And, for me as well, Deborah! Thanks for reading and blessing!
I can so relate to your experience of sitting on the bow of a boat and experiencing God’s creation. This summer I had the opportunity to enjoy a boat ride on the ocean in Hawaii. We were even able to swim with wild dolphins! It was such a breathtaking experience to know that God created the landscape and the animals just because he could!
Wow…being on a boat ride in Hawaii and swim with wild dolphins would be so awesome indeed! I’m so glad you had those great opportunities to experience God’s handiwork! Thanks for reading and blessing with your sharing.