17 Jul Waves by Sarah Sauseda
One of my favorite places to be is the beach – on the shore where it’s calm, I can hear the waves crashing, I feel the sun shining on me. I love it….ALL! But, swimming out into the ocean is a completely different story. The water is very deep and you can’t stand and that can be an overwhelming feeling especially when a wave hits you. And if you’re in the gulf coast, you have no idea what is under you because the water isn’t exactly blue. Difficulties we face in life are often like these waves. They’re are powerful, scary, and sometimes unpredictable. But the good news is, we can be certain that God has power over us and waves that come our way. Ps. 93:4 He is mightier than the waves, than the raging seas.
There have been several times in life where I found myself in the midst of waves. Whether it was a teenager ending a relationship with a broken heart or experiencing the pain of a broken relationship in my family. It was real, but so was God. He was faithful to piece my heart together and give me joy and peace in the midst of it all. I learned what it meant to keep my eyes on him. He promises in Isaiah 23 that he keeps in perfect peace those who keep their mind on him because they trust in Him. You see back then, the little faith I had became stronger and I knew without a doubt that I could trust him always.
I wish I could say that was my only drowning moment. But in 2014, my world was once again turned completely upside down. The waves that came crashing down and threatened to take me out for good. I was no longer on the shore basking in the sun, I was right in the middle of the ocean fighting the waves. There were days I literally felt like I was treading water and it was all I could do to keep my head above water. But God never left me, I never once was alone. On my weakest days he became my strength because his power really is made perfect in our weakness.
The enemy tried to destroy what was most precious to me – my relationship with God and my family. But God already had a plan to rescue me. Ps. 77:19 is one of my favorite scriptures because it gave me so much hope when everything around me seemed hopeless. “Your way was in the sea & your paths in the mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there!” He sees what we can’t and knows what we don’t. Only God saw the path through the red sea and only God sees your path through life today. Charles Spurgeon said “the Lord will make a way for you where no foot has been before. That which, like the sea, threatens to drown you, shall be a highway for your escape”. Our impossible overwhelming circumstances can be the vehicle God uses to bring victory. We may not see the way out of our storm, but God does. Trust him to carry you through the mighty sea. Remember his love is bigger, deeper, and wider than the oceans we find ourselves sinking in sometimes. The good news is there is no pit or ocean too deep that his love is not deeper still. It is in those moments we can actually feel his precious love. He is willing to rescue his children. When we come thru God will be glorified and you will love him and trust him in a deeper than you ever have.