How Great Is our God!
July 11, 2018
It’s our annual family vacation—I always love this time so much of course, first of all because of the time with family. But a second reason is where we go and what it does to me. Every year we head for the same place at the ocean. There’s nothing quite like it for me. You know I love the seafood. I love sleeping with the fresh salt air and the sea breezes. I love sleeping longer and watching movies with the family and taking walks with Patty. I love uninterrupted time reading.
But one more thing overwhelms me every time. At the ocean I get overwhelmed with the greatness of God. I love to sit near the water’s edge and watch the ocean, seeing its vastness. It stretches out further than I can see in every direction. The waves come in with rhythm and regularity and burst over the rocks and change the shoreline a bit with every wave. The surf is pounding; white and beautiful. The shells toss and tumble as the waves carry them along. I feel so small when I see the awesomeness of the ocean. . .and I recognize again just how big and powerful my God really is.
Job records the rhetorical questions Almighty God asked about His power: “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said,‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths?” Job 38:8-11,16
Nicole C. Mullen sang beautifully about the power of God:
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean you can only come this far?
And who showed the moon where to hide till evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?
Well, I know my Redeemer lives!
I know my Redeemer lives!
All of creation testifies,
this life within me cries,
I know my Redeemer lives!
Those are my thoughts as I watch the sun rise, the sun set, and the mighty ocean ebb and flow. This powerful force is controlled by the God of the Universe. The One Who redeems me, and the One Who holds my every breath in His hands.
Every time I go to the ocean, it has a tremendous calming effect on me—maybe because I am taking the time to reflect on the greatness of God. EVERY TIME I take the time to reflect on the greatness of God, I am able to rest, relax, and recalibrate. He is God and I am not. He is in charge and I am not. I don’t need to worry; my life is in capable hands. I don’t have to be at the ocean to calm down. I just need to reflect on how great God is!
When was the last time you paused to reflect on God’s greatness? It just might bring a sense of calmness to your life too. O magnify the Lord with me!