His Path Is Through the Sea

When I was growing up in Oregon, we frequently took day trips to the coast. We might drive an hour and a half to two hours, depending on which beach or bay was our destination. Back then, there wasn’t an effective way to check the hourly weather forecast, so we took our chances. Sometimes we’d get there and find it was too foggy or windy for a pleasant day on the beach. We were pretty determined, though. Jackets, hoods, rolled-up jeans, bare feet; no sense wasting the trip even if the water was so cold we couldn’t feel our feet by the time we got back in the car.

We loved our beaches, watching the waves crashing on rock formations, seeing how far we could walk out on the rocks and still get back before the tide came in. It was fun and exhilarating, but I was always a bit afraid. I had no desire to be in the water, where I couldn’t see what was below the surface. Things might bite my feet or pull me under. I just knew the waves would dash me to pieces against the rocks.

When I was a teenager, my dad acquired a small boat, and we were able to go out onto the ocean. We trawled for salmon, and I discovered that I’m horribly susceptible to seasickness. I learned to fight it because I didn’t want to be a big baby and miss the fun, but it was work.

One day Dad said he was going to take us out far enough that we’d be in international waters. Then we could say we’d been out of the United States. Did I tell him, “No, I’m terrified to be that far from land?” I did not. I think that was the day we saw a whale swimming not too far away. Cool, right? Well, our boat was twenty-one feet long. I didn’t know how long the whale was. Big enough to have come over and dumped us right into the water, no doubt. Oh please, oh please, don’t come over here. This is so amazing! I’m not scared, I’m not scared.

To me, the ocean has always been beautiful, fascinating, and frightening. I enjoy being near it, but not in it. I’m extremely impressed by the fact that man has been braving the ocean for thousands of years, but I’ve never even had the urge to go on a cruise. I live in Wyoming now. You can’t make me go out there.

This is why Psalm 77 strikes so deeply. I know God created everything, and that Jesus holds it together by the word of his power. I absolutely believe he is the “God who works wonders.” But listen!

“When the waters saw you, O God,
When the waters saw you, they were afraid;
Indeed the deep trembled.” (Psalm 77:16)

The waters trembled at the power of God as I tremble at the power of the waters. That reminds me who my God is. But that’s not all.

“Your way was through the sea,

Through the sea! The terrifying, uncontrollable, overwhelming, impersonal sea that would just as soon kill me as not, isn’t even a puddle to my God. He doesn’t need to find a route around it. His path is right through it. This is no difficulty for him.

In this psalm, Asaph is about as troubled as a person could possibly be. His soul refuses to be comforted; when he meditates, his spirit faints; he can’t sleep or speak; he wonders if God is so angry that his love and compassion have ceased.

But then he remembers who his God is: “You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples . . . The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea.”

This is not just David’s God, or Asaph’s God. This is my God!

Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you for your mighty power. Remind me that if I dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me (Psalm 139:9-10). Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. (Psalm 89:5-14)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

Reach for More

What terrifies you? Sickness, an empty bank account, darkness, loneliness, death? Admit it to yourself. Confess your fears to God. Trust him to hold you in the palm of his hand. “Say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (Psalm 91:2).

Through the gift of a faithful mother and grandmother, Diane Pendergraft grew up knowing Jesus as a friend. Married for nearly two-thirds of her life, there has been time for several seasons, from homeschooling to owning a coffee shop. She has three grown children and eight grandchildren. An element of this season is writing about literature and life at Plumfield and Paideia.

Photograph © Giga Khurtsilava, used with permission