Withstanding the Wave

We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, CEV).

I love the ocean. The sites, the sounds, the smells. I love it all! When I visited in January and spent a week at the beach for the first time in years, I was reminded of why.

Every morning I woke up early to walk the beach during sunrise. I always feel drawn to Jesus there. The whoosh of the wave, the water hitting my feet, and the sand washing up between my toes gave me such delight.

Have you ever ventured out into the water when the waves are bigger? As a kid I distinctly remember loving to wait for a “big one” and try to swim along with the waves toward the shore.

As an adult, I’ve found that it has become a little bit harder to ride the waves, and most of the time, I’m simply trying to withstand them. This is spiritually speaking now, of course.

The trials of life come at us in waves. Each of us is standing at the edge of the shore, praying the water remains calm while keeping watch for any big waves that might be headed our direction. Sometimes the water is peaceful, and others, the storm settles in with raging waters.

News the cancer has returned. An accident that leaves you disabled. The unexpected death of a loved one. Hearing the news that someone else is pregnant, while you’ve been trying for years. Yet another engagement announcement while you continue to wait on the Lord, and pray for the desires of your heart.

I could continue, but it isn’t necessary. We know these waves all too well.

Sometimes the waves are small enough that we don’t have to do anything different, and we just continue with our daily lives. Other times, we see the wave coming so we prepare ourselves by taking a firmer stance before it hits. We think we’re strong, but sometimes the size of the wave, and the sheer unexpected force, completely knocks us off our feet. But God.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says: We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.

We cannot avoid the waves of life. They will come crashing down, and sometimes they will completely take us out. But thankfully, the waves don’t have the final say, Jesus does.

If you find yourself in that situation today, I’d like to pose this question: Is Jesus standing with you at the shore? If He is, continue to lean into the promise spoken in 2 Corinthians that God is with us. If He isn’t, I encourage you to invite Him to join you. He is already there, waiting for our invitation. When the waves come, and we’re knocked on our backside, we can get back up again because we know that God is bigger than anything we may experience.

#crashing #Fear #trust #christ #waves #thenarrowpath #hope #jesus #corinthians