I am officially announcing it to everyone, I am ready for Summer! Man, oh man, do I want to play in the sand and the sun! Many of you know that I love the water. Well, last night, I found myself looking at the monthly calendar in my living room, staring at the crystal clear waters on some white-sand beach. It was there and then that I announced to my wife that I need to get in some water soon. So, today, after we worshipped in the sanctuary of our church, I went to my office to start working. The first thing I did was turn on the worship music, but the second thing I did was open up a YouTube page and started to watch videos of fish. (There are some really good videos out there that even tell you the names of every fish they filmed, showing you some of the most beautiful reefs in the world.) I’ve said this multiple times before, but I’m gonna repeat myself here anyway… I love the ocean. There is nothing more beautiful to me than the ocean. Some people love the mountains, some love the plains of the Midwest or Africa, some love snow… but I love the ocean. Even the dark, green, muddy waters are beautiful to me. Beaches are great, but it’s what is beyond the sandy shores that I find breath-taking. Sunsets are beautiful, but put me 40 feet below the surface of some turquoise sea and I’ll have more peace than anything else this world can give. Today, as I watched these videos of fish, I was reminded of scripture. Psalm 8 says, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?...” Psalm 95:3-6 says, “For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” That is exactly how I feel when I consider the works of His hands. God made it all. Everything my eyes can see was made by God, and the things I find beautiful, He made just for me. Sea turtles, dolphins, manta rays, barracuda, whale sharks… there is nothing more stunningly beautiful that watching life under the waves interacting peacefully. I’ve never seen fear from any creature under the sea, unless they come in contact with us. They live in perfect harmony with God. Job 12:7-10 says, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” In Job 38:16 God asks Job, “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?” God walks the depths of the ocean, my favorite place, and I truly feel Him there. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 3 foot deep swimming pool or 80 feet deep channel; just let me sit at the bottom, because I feel God there. Am I trying to convince you to join me? No. I’m simply sharing my favorite experience with you, and I know that you have a favorite place, too. I can’t quite get to mine at the moment, but I hope you can get to yours. I hope that you have a favorite place, and that you know how to get there, that you spend as much time with God while you are there. If it’s just a back road somewhere at 10:00 PM and you just pull over and sit on the hood of your car to stare at the stars, I hope you do it with God. If it’s on your front porch and dusk, and you enjoy feeling the breeze and watching the sun set behind the horizon, I hope you do it with God. Make some time. If your favorite place is your living room, with your kids all around you, make it happen… but make sure you invite God. Because it’s His favorite place, too.
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AuthorWritten by a few for the many. Archives
July 2023
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