The Ocean

“Do you not fear me?’ says the Lord.  ‘Will you not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.’”  Jeremiah 5:22 NKJV

The ocean has always been my favorite place on this earth.  The mountains….a close second!  When given a choice, I will always choose the ocean — probably because I’ve always lived closer to the mountains and am able to enjoy them more frequently.

This weekend, I had the privilege of accompanying a good friend of mine to the beach at Hilton Head Island.  The weather was wonderful, and there were many people enjoying the beach with us.

When at the ocean, I simply stand in awe of God’s magnificent creation!  I can feel God’s presence all around me.  The ocean is in constant movement! It never rests.  God never rests.  As Jeremiah says, God has placed the sand as a barrier….the waves do not pass over it (except in the case of a hurricane).  During high tide, they reach a certain spot and go no further.  Soon thereafter, they begin retreating.  Always in CONSTANT MOTION.  Just like our God!

Once, when my son was small, we were walking on the beach in the wintertime.  I told him, “Do NOT get your shoes wet!”.  What did he do?  He got as close to the water as possible, tempting it!  A couple of times, the waves tricked him and came a little further up, causing him to jump back (so as not to get his shoes wet).  One wave finally got him!

After disciplining him for disobedience, I was able to use the waves as an example of sin.  The devil never stops either!  He is always tempting us to disobey God.  I told my son, the waves are like temptation.  Playing with the waves (when told not to get your shoes wet) is like playing with sin.  We test and test and test….see just how close we can get without actually falling into sin.  The suddenly, when we’re not expecting it, it catches us… and our feet are wet.  I continued to explain to him, this is why we should just stay far away from tempting situations.

This is just one of the many countless lessons we can learn from visiting the ocean.

Thank you God, for your creation of the mighty sea!  YOU are mighty!

As the Psalmist says….”Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them!”  Psalms 69:34 NKJV

P.S…. Wave at me from my Avon store!  www.youravon.com/ngreer