Thoughts of a Sojourner

I never come to the beach that I am not reminded of God’s sovereignty over His entire creation. I have spent the last few days at the beach. Every morning I get up, walk out on the balcony with coffee in hand and watch the sunrise over the gulf coast. As I gaze down to the beach and watch the gentle waves caress the sand on the shore, I am quickly reminded of the passage from the scriptures in Job 38:8-11 where God reminds Job of His creative, sovereign, creative power – “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it bursts forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garnet and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed it’s limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far you shall come and no farther, and here shall your waves be stayed’?” (Job 38:8-11). What an overwhelming sight the ocean is when one sets his eyes on it and sees no end other than the horizon which doesn’t bring it to an end, but rather just says to our frail human eyes, “This is as far as you go”. As the sun, rises to the east just in time and kisses the gulf with it’s rays, life on the shore wakes up from the varying shore birds to the occasional dolphin that disturbs the emerald calmness to take another breath as it continues fill its stomach with the schools of fish that dart in the surf. The vastness of the sea is truly an intimidating sight, but to God, our Creator, it is but a puddle of water that he created for His glory and man’s pleasure. It is not something that He had to try and fail many times to create, but rather simply spoke into existence and gave it, it’s orders of its existence. The sea is but one example of the majestic creative, sovereignty of God that man gets to enjoy. The lesson for me in observing and being reminded of the Sea and sovereignty is that if God put so much detail into creating this one facet of the total created universe, how could we ever plumb the depths of the love and care that He has for us, His most prized creation. Please remember, you are created in the image of God and no other part of creation carries that distinction. With that thought in mind, how could I ever think God has forgotten me, even in the darkest corners that life may bring. Friend, the thing I am reminded of everyday is that God is faithful and just as He told the sea where to stop, He intimately knows your limits for both the tumultuous times and times of plenty and sets limits to both. Sometimes the limits of plenty leave us desiring more, but instead take time to celebrate what God has given you in times of plenty. Whether it be plenty in the area of material things, plenty in moments of joy, plenty in time with family or plenty in time spent with friends just to name a few. However, what about when we hit the limits he has set in times of brokenness? My own personal experience has shown me that my faith in God should never be dependent on circumstances. I have and am trying to learn that we can have joy in the journey no matter where the road on this journey takes us. In discovering that the tumultuous times have limits, I must trust God to bring me out of the other side of the darkness and know that He is going to restore the joy and love for life that He intends for His most precious creation. So what is the take away that I want to leave you with from these ramblings of mine this morning? Folks, embrace this life that God has given you. Embrace the knowledge that the same God that spoke the vast sea into existence and set it’s limits, knows you intimately and loves you beyond your comprehension and there is nothing, I mean nothing, that life can fling at us that our sovereign God has not already set a limit on and already has a plan to bring you through stronger and with more zeal for life. Go! Find and embrace the joy of living!!