I recently enjoyed a long weekend at a cottage on Lake Ontario. My spirit is always renewed being near bodies of water, just gazing at the beauty of the world that God created. An added bonus is that this area is the perfect spot to view God’s sunset masterpieces.
Sunset over Lake Ontario
I thoroughly enjoyed the contrasts Lake Ontario held with the water. The first and last day there, it felt like I was at the ocean! The first day it was chilly and windy, which made the water rough and wavy. The waves were crashing along the shoreline. The other days the water was very calm and quiet with no waves. I was mesmerized seeing how the wind’s effect made the water flow in different directions on different days.
I began to think about the parallels between water, waves, wind, and God in our lives.
No matter if our life is stormy and tumultuous or calm,
no matter what way the wind is blowing,
the one constant is God,
the anchor to keep us grounded.
What can we learn from some Bible verses referencing rough waters?
I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. –Psalm 42:7-8 (NLT)
What a dismal picture the Psalmist paints with his description of the raging seas and tides overtaking him. Water often symbolizes chaos and confusion in Scripture. The second part of the Psalm gives us great encouragement. God pours out His unfailing love in the storms of life, so much so that we are able to sing praises of thanksgiving to the Lord!
I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” –Isaiah 51:15-16 (ESV)
God reigns over the seas making the waves appear symbolic of the storms that are in our lives. Our God is so great that He cares for you and me as He gives us the words to speak life into our storms. God also protects us in the shadow of His hand, not letting us ever be alone. We are His precious creation whom He cares for.
The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty. –Psalm 93:3-4 (NIV)
Being on the seas during a mighty storm, you can experience great turbulence and noise as the waves pound against the boat. The Lord is even mightier in power than the waves of the open seas. God’s Word is more thunderous and powerful than the stormiest of seas.
Just as boats are equipped with anchors that attach to the bottom of the sea, providing stability to help steady the boat and stop it from drifting, we have an anchor during the storms of life. As Christians, Jesus is our anchor to help us weather the storms.
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. –Hebrews 6:18-20 (NLT)
Jesus is our anchor and hope to steady us during the rough waters of this life. His hope and love help us be immovable as the tides come crashing upon us. We can trust Jesus and remain strong in Him.
Photo courtesy of Lawrence OP under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); words added by hopetoinspireyou.com
This week, in the rough waters and the storms of life, be encouraged to…
…see God’s unfailing love giving you life and victory.
…speak life over the storms.
…seek protection in the shadow of God’s hand.
…turn to God’s Word which is mightier than the stormy seas.
…remain attached to the anchor for our soul, Jesus!
A storm approaching
No matter if our life is stormy and tumultuous or calm,
no matter what way the wind is blowing,
the one constant is God,
the anchor to keep us grounded.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. –Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)
