Daily Devotionals

Tides of Grace

Posted in Grace/Forgiveness

Scripture:  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” – Psalm 42: 1-2 

 

There’s a gravitational force that draws me toward the sea.  As demanding as the moon’s pull on the tides, the sea itself commands my full attention.  I can’t help but be captivated by the call of the deep. I long to wade in the cool surf that reaches for my toes and sucks my heels into its wet earth. The steady thunder of waves bellows my name and drowns every other sound, silencing any thought until the rumbling rolls are all I hear.  My eyes are transfixed, my ears tuned, my feet buried, my mind consumed– but there’s a draw for even more.  Something more internal, a call of the heart and soul. 

 

Perhaps one of the reasons for this magnetism of soul to sea can be discovered among the first words in the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).

 

From the beginning of time, the Holy Spirit has been soaring above the waters, like a protective mother bird watching over her young.  Likewise, when Jesus tore the curtain of separation between the Father and mankind by dying on the cross and forgiving our sins eternally, the Holy Spirit also has been living in the hearts of Christians and guiding us in our daily lives.  So, inherent is the tug of our soul toward communion with our heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit.  

 

From Genesis, we recognize that God created man for relationships.  Not just for relationships with others around us, but also for connection with God Himself.  He calls us to draw near to him everyday.  It is the call for communion with our Father, through the Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts.  The depth of God’s love calls to the deepest parts of our soul. 

 

It’s from the shore’s edge that my perspective on the mysteries of life widens.  It is there where I glimpse God’s vastness– deeper and wider than my human vision allows me to see.  I feel small, limited, transient in comparison.  But understanding that I am weak and he is strong is good.  It’s fundamental to loosening my grip on control and trusting the God of the sea and sky instead.  

 

Don’t you find it almost unbelievable that the God of all creation desires relationship with you and me even in our sinful state and all our brokenness?  But God is the Author of love, and in his love he gives us and teaches us grace.  Unbelievable, unbounded, undeserving grace after grace after grace like the unending roll of the waters at the shore.  God’s call of grace is relentless when searching for you and soul-refreshing when you let it in.  

 

Stand on the shore with me and learn to listen for the call of grace.  Learn to accept the power of grace to stand strong in your storms.  Allow God’s greatest gift of grace to wash away what’s holding you back from basking in his glorious riches and resting peacefully in his loving embrace.  Once you feel that grace, learn to open your own hands to let the pearls of grace drip from your palms onto others who need your forgiveness and boundless love.  

 

Open your eyes with me. The tides of grace are rolling in.  

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, you are the creator of tides that remind us how you draw us in to know you more.  Help us give in to that holy yearning by sitting in your Word and holy presence today.  Amen.    

 

Submitted by Caroline C. Bennett