Swell of the Sea

   

    Why is my blog called "Swell of the Sea"? It's a vague and pretty name. Usually that's my only reason for naming any certain something another certain something.  In the case of this blog, however, the name actually does have a reason besides it's graceful yet ambiguous nature. I so named it because of a favored Bible verse of mine,  Psalm 89:9 ~ "You rule the swelling of the sea; when it's waves rise, you still them." (By the way, this Psalm wasn't written by David, as usual. Ethan the Ezrahite, a wise man of musical talent, wrote it.) This verse is significant to me because it reminds me of God's sovereignty and lovingkindness in my life, in other lives, and in the bigger picture. At times the sea is a wild beast on the surface; so is life. God, however, is not caught in it's waters as we are. He is both fully infused and concerned with our sorrows, and able to allow them because He knows the good they will bring about. But ultimately, what's really encouraging to draw from this verse is that God is fully in control. In Romans 8:28, Paul says, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Here we learn that all things work together for our good. If God is in absolute control and God does absolutely everything he does for our good, where can fear linger? When you just stop and really think about it, there is so much joy, comfort, peace there.
     Such awe-inspiring fatherly devotion deserves not just a moment of notice, but a posture of remembrance. What I mean by that, is that it is good to stop and ponder a bit this amazing truth, but it is better to continue to remind yourself of it and of it's solidity. No matter how you feel, it is true. God is using this very moment in time for your ultimate good. Sometimes it is hard to trust this truth, especially in the midst of conflict or despair. James 1:2-4 addresses such circumstances, "Consider it all joy, my bretheren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Here, we see what God really wants for us; He wants us to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. All his working together for our good will one day lead to our holiness. Such a thought is as incomprehensible as it is beautiful. What will have this result, though? Endurance; and endurance is not earned easy but through trial and conflict. Therefore, in the slightest and the most extreme of trials, this truth serves as a beacon of hope. You may say to yourself, 'Even this, even this pain, is out of an overflowing wellspring of love from my Father. '
    These truths of God's sovereignty and love not only serve as a reason for hope (and hopefully celebration), but also as a reason for faith. Just because truth is truth, doesn't mean it is always felt. Most of the time, instead of relying on feeling the truth, we must rely on knowing the truth and living based on it. This is faith. All the same, our faith, a result of knowing the truth, partakes in the truth as well. If we feel we lack in faith, we shouldn't despair. After all, God is working even this for our good; James 1:6, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the sea." Here, a "swelling sea" is referenced. Remember the beginning of this post and the name of this blog? We know that God "rule[s] the swelling of the sea, and when it's waves rise, [he will] still them." Even in the case of wavering faith, this is true. In any and every case, God is in loving control and we can and should take refuge in that and in Him.

       I hope you liked my first post. I wrote it in hopes to encourage your day and start up some spiritual discussion. This blog is purely for exploring God's word and hopefully discussing it as well in the comments section (I realize by now I've used the word hope in some form three times. Awh well, it couldn't be helped). I'm not sure how often I'll write, but I'll try to be consistent. As for the present, it is nearly 12 o'clock so I'm going to go to bed. Ciao!