The Unpredictability of the Ocean

There is just something about the ocean that is calming and peaceful, especially under a beautiful moonlit night sky. The quietness, the gentle breezes blowing through the sea grasses, the moon shining down upon the ocean’s water, the sound of the tides washing upon the beach.

But, if you have ever been to the ocean then you also know the unpredictability of the water and the waves. The tide comes in and then it back goes out; it ebbs and flows. One minute the water isn’t even up to your knees and then all of a sudden it is over your head, you almost drown. One wave gently tosses you around and you are having fun. But the next wave, it is a really big one, and the force of the water flips you upside down, pounds you into the ocean floor and you come up wondering what just happened. You need to re-adjust your swimsuit; it is in places it shouldn’t be and not places it should be. You’ve been there, right? Or maybe you have been in a kayak when the rapids got almost too dangerous and you feared being drowned.

Life can be the same way. One minute things are calm and peaceful and then without notice a big wave (or two or three or four) comes and turns life upside down. You sometimes lose your breath and find yourself disoriented from all the pounding you are taking. You just hope that you can find your way back to the shore.

The Bible tells us that when, from your vantage point, things seem out of control that God has things under control and He can calm the waves in your life. Psalm 89:9 tells us this, “You rule over the surging sea; when the waves mount up, you still them.”

We see a similar message in Psalm 107:29, “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.”

So, when you find yourself in turbulent waters, and your kayak is about to overturn, dumping you in the rapidly flowing water, you can rest assured that sometimes God calms the waters and other times He calms you in the midst of the dangerous waters. Either way, you can always trust that God is not far away.