Colliding with God

“All your waves and breakers have swept over me”

(Psalm 42:7).

Our family spent many vacations at the beach.  I enjoyed the ocean, but I never liked being caught by a wave.  I still remember having huge ones crash down on me, sucking me under and dragging me along the ocean floor.

One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is “The Hurt and the Healer” by Mercy Me.  It reminds me of my wave experiences and the words are very appropriate to my life of pain.  The song acknowledges that even though part of us seems to die as we collide with God in the midst of our pain, He restores us, and one day all will be made plain.

Through my years of pain, I have had many “collisions” with God over His plan for my life.  At times I have felt that the waves of physical and emotional struggles were so overpowering that I would be drowned by them.  They have dragged me along the ocean floor leaving me bruised and exhausted, but God has breathed life back in to me time and time again and He has been glorified.

There is one lesson I learned from my beach experiences - the best thing to do when facing a wave is to dive in to it rather than run from it.  When I try and outrun a wave, I get caught and pulled under.  However, if I dive in to it, I am lifted up with it and brought safely down again.

I want to have the faith to face and dive in to the waves God brings into my life rather than running from them, trusting that He will lift me up and carry me on them.  I may still be dragged around, but I don’t need to fear.  He will bring me back to life.  And one day I will ride one of those waves out – all the way to the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel that my collisions with You are too much for me to withstand, but I know in faith that is not true.  As I face my waves of challenges, give me the courage to dive in to them, knowing You love me and will carry me through each one.  Amen.

 

 

 

Hope – the Anchor of Our Souls

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”
(Hebrews 6:19).

One of our favorite vacations spots is the beach, and I always enjoy watching the boats out in the water or in the harbor when we’re there.  My nautical knowledge is limited, but I do know the purpose of an anchor – to keep the boat in a certain location so that it doesn’t drift where it should not or does not want to go.

In order for an anchor to hold a boat fast it must be heavy and secure enough to hold the weight of the boat.  Many anchors actually have hooks which dig in to the ocean floor to keep the boat secure.  The anchor is attached to the boat by chains, ropes, or cables.

This verse gives a wonderful description of our hope as an anchor for our souls.  In the verses preceding and following this verse, we learn what this hope is.  It is the certainty of God’s promise that we are his heirs and that He is our great High priest, who even now is interceding for us before the Father.  We are also urged not to fall away from the truths of Scripture and to continue growing in maturity.

As we sail through our days – particularly those of pain and suffering - we need an anchor to keep us from drifting into wrong ideas and beliefs.  Our lives get quite choppy at times and it is easy to slip away and lose hope.  Our faith is the chain which secures us to the anchor of hope in Jesus.  And that anchor of hope in Christ will not fail us.  His promises are hooked deep into God’s eternal plan.

Many of our days may be overcast or stormy.  It can be tempting to pull up anchor and allow ourselves to drift away.  But placing our hope in who we are and what we have in Christ will keep us anchored securely until we reach the shores of eternity. 

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus, for the hope I have in You. Keep my faith firmly anchored in all You give me both now and eternally, despite whatever storms I must go through.  Amen.