Do you like being by the sea? I do, although I don’t get to be there very often. Can you visualise the scene? The smell of the sea, and the sounds. There’s something very calming about watching the ebb and flow of the tide. I can visualise myself walking along the beach, the sun on my back, stopping to pick up a shell or a pebble that has caught my eye. The sound of the water quietly lapping as it creeps up the beach, coming nearer and nearer, before retreating within itself. The sea can lift my mood in minutes of arriving, whatever mood I have arrived in. The sea can lull us into a sense of wellbeing - a state of freedom and relaxation.
Yet as we know the tide can turn very quickly. Suddenly, without warning, what seemed calm and inviting can become a place of danger. There are often reports of shoreline rescues, when people have gone walking on the beach and have suddenly realised that they have been cut off from the mainland, trapped by the turning tide. Or news of a cliff collapsing, taking with it someone’s home, as the sea reclaims the land it sits on. At these times there is an element of fear and a lack of control.
At these times God is not fearful. He is in control of whatever happens next.
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
A bit like life. All seems to be going well. We think we are in control. Then, like the sea the tide turns, the weather changes and we find ourselves in choppy waters, even in the middle of a storm. Like life, the sea can change very quickly, becoming a roaring, foaming mass, as it crashes into the rocks, knocking and dragging anything in its wake into itself.
Anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health can probably relate to those descriptions. But when God created the sea, and the weather He was fully aware of the frailties of human life. He warns us that in following Him the way will not be easy. There will be storms as well as the times when we can meander along without a care in the world. He invites us to learn strategies and collect tools to cope when the way isn’t easy.
So, are you prepared to make that journey? Have you got the resources and the know how to cope with the ebb and flow of the tide, and the turning of that tide and any storms ahead? Is your prayer life live? Have you put your trust and confidence in God? If you are not ready, what are you doing to prepare yourself for these times?
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
Romans 8:38-39
Father, as I walk along the beach, with sand between my toes, help me to enjoy your creation, and to give you thanks.
Help me also to prepare for the times when the water is rough. When the water is choppy, When the storm is wild and out of control. Help me to then turn to you in prayer, trusting you and having confidence in your word, throughout my life.
Amen.
Kathy Shaw
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