Tuesday, June 15: Peace, be still!

Looking at the ocean today, I was thinking of the repetitious nature of waves. No matter what, after one wave crashes to the shore, within moments, another wave follows. Even the seemingly small waves generate so much power. Power doesn’t always come from a burst of energy; it can also come from slow, continuous motion. We can picture the way a river flows downstream, as well. It doesn’t matter how quickly the water is flowing. It can carry objects great distances and in a similar fashion, can change what appears to be a solid object forever. Have you seen a rock shaped into a smooth, glass-like finish with that continuous flow?


The world we live in seems to have waves of sin, continuously crashing around us. Sadly, that continuous sin can shape us in a way we did not desire and carry us into places we didn’t envision going. We know that God gave Satan the dominion over this earth for the time being, and with the evil one in charge, our world is becoming more sinful by the day.


“When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
 2 Samuel 22:5


Even though we may feel that we are under constant attack, God can say, “Peace, be still,” and remove those obstacles from our paths, if He so chooses. Additionally, He can leave those obstacles to test us, and draw us closer to Him!


You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
Psalm 89:9

Yet as much as the waves of sin continue, those of us who follow Jesus are covered by the waves of His mercy. Nothing is more constant than God! Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. He is faithful to His own promises, and He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We can demonstrate our love by following His commandments. Are you truly following God, or are you living with the Burger King philosophy (Have it your way)?


Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
 Isaiah 48:18


When we are riding on top of a wave, there is peace, through His righteousness. Yet when we are in the direct, line-of-fire of that wave, there is destruction. Do you want to walk on the waves as Peter did? There’s only one way to do that and it is to walk beside Jesus, not ahead of Him or behind Him, but right with Him!


He alone spreads out the heavens,
And treads on the waves of the sea;
Job 9:8


But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6