GO TO THE BEACH - SPEND AN HOUR OR TWO IN SOLITUDE ALONG THE OCEAN EDGE.
"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10)I love the ocean! A love so great it stills my soul. Being by the beach and hearing the sounds of the ocean is exhilarating to me. It stimulates my mind and quietly calms my spirit. I lived eighteen years of my life by the ocean and kept in close company with it almost every day—its wonder has never dimmed. I am always caught up in the grandeur of its might—humbled, stirred and moved by its glory.
I love to go down to the seashore, look out at the nothingness of water and think deeply of all that’s on my mind. It seems daily that I always have many burdens and difficulties to give to the Lord, remembering that He meets my every need, and standing on the beach looking far out into the ocean brings solace and comfort to me. I begin to listen and ponder with each wave as it breaks gently on the shoreline and rolls up onto the sand what God is silently revealing to my heart. Am I listening? Am I still enough? In His own gracious and gentle way God is teaching me to be still enough to hear His voice. In quietness as I contemplate His character it equals and surpasses in grandeur anything known to man.
I have come to the beach today to stand before His majesty—I am moved by the touch of His life upon mine. It is awe-inspiring. Where do you go to hear the still small voice of God? You go to the beach! So here I am stilled before the ocean’s majesty—my soul is silent in its presence—there is assurance in its might.
As I stroll along the shore—I am humbled in its company. I find I do my best thinking by the ocean—it has drawn me to itself and won my total allegiance. I really am an ocean lover! As I look at the ocean scene—the waves are breaking on the smooth sand and the gulls quietly glide along the cliff face. All is passing. All is in motion. All is change—new every day—fresh in every way.
There is constant noise down at the seashore—but the roar of the ocean surf—creates a mood and blocks out distraction of any kind so you can get in touch with your inner being. The innermost response of my spirit to His magnificent presence is, “O Lord, my Father, my Creator, and my Most High God! You are here! All is well!”
Majesty and power is everywhere! At His every command and direction the waters move. Walking along the beach is marvelous—it lays warm, secluded and peaceful at the base of rugged cliffs. Gulls, dressed in their immaculate white breeding plumage, wheeled in the wind. Looking out into the ocean you hear their wild cries—sharp and piercing chasing the fishing boats heading out to sea.
I walk into the water along the shoreline and realize it changes its appearance several times a day as the tides go in and out. The tides are always changing the coast. Their force is utterly relentless. The tides move billions of tons of water from surface to surface upon the sea. It appears they know no rest—they never slumber—and they never sleep. God is always there to listen—and hears your heart—He’s teaching you to be still and hear the voice of God. He never slumbers and He never sleeps.
When the tide is fully in you have to move up to the sand dunes or onto the rocks as the sea is now everywhere on the beach. The waves roll in and then break splashing the surf high and powerful. I stand there and watch the breakers and realize God is speaking to my heart. It is He, who in the high tide of His relentless patience and perseverance, presses in upon my person. We cry from the depths of our being: “Who can cover my iniquities? Who can enfold me in righteousness? Who can fill me with the fullness of God?" It is He and only He who can do this for me—and He does. He is at work within my soul and spirit both to will and do according to His own grand designs. His presence can inundate every crevice; can fill every corner of our convoluted lives. He alters the contours of my character and conduct.
When I am at the beach, I see God in the spectacular scene of blue and white beauty. When the breakers crash in thundering foam along the shore, it stirs your inner depths. Approximately every six to sixteen seconds a fresh new breaker bursts into foam that rumbles and surges over the shore. Within the waves themselves there goes on a magnificent cleansing movement of the beach. It is a perpetual process. The breakers restore the beach, cleansing its shoreline and leaving the sea edge bathed in pristine purity. God has my attention and I have been deeply moved by the profound parallels that lie between my soul and God. I continue my walk along the beach and meditate upon the majestic mysteries of His dealings with me, and that I am totally loved by my God. It is overwhelming at times and floods your heart with emotion.
Like the breakers crashing every few seconds upon the shore, so His love comes sweeping over my soul from out of the eternal depths of His own infinite being. Over and over His life is broken on my behalf. Do you fathom what that means? The breakers of His spilled-out love can effect in our experience. As I have listened to God, I realize the outpouring of the love of God upon my life—the eternal, endless energy of His person—purifies my character and beautifies my behavior. God’s love for me stills my soul, humbles my heart, and subdues my spirit. God has my attention!
I suggest you take a trip to the beach and see for yourself its remarkable beauty. Notice the outward splendor of a wave-washed ashore sparkling in the sun, and the intimate beauty of its delicate design etched upon the sand. Watch as the waves wash across the sand and crash around the rocks. Listen to the roar and crash of the waves. All of it causes us to be in awe, wonder, and humility before Almighty God. We can’t help but think our Father’s unfathomable love is ever in action spilling out upon our sin-stained souls. Man was made for God. And he will never find rest of soul, serenity of spirit, until he finds that repose in stillness and quietness in company with Christ. All you find on the beach is simply ocean and the sound of the surf—the cries of the sea birds on blustery days, and the wind gusting across the cliffs, rocks, and sand dunes.
In this setting there is remarkable solitude. There is a sense of stillness greater and more majestic than mere silence. If you are serious of seeking solitude—try the beach and walk the shoreline. Many are afraid to be alone with their thoughts. They are intimidated by the idea of spending several hours in stillness, allowing God’s Spirit time to speak to them.
Being at the beach—peace pervades the shore; the song of the surf fills the air, and you feel tremendously free. There are private times of tears. There are acute moments of pain to deal with. There are intense intercession sessions when a solitary soul pleads with his or her God for a world gone awry. The sea is a special place of peace.
The sea has many sounds. Sometimes it thunders and booms with the roar of giant breakers bursting against the rocks. Other times it’s just solace and strength and inspiration from the voice of the waters. There are days when the sea, under a brittle blue summer sky, barely whispers in soft notes of tiny wavelets caressing the sand. The sound of the surf speaks to me. At times, I take a book to the beach and read, or enjoy a brisk walk or stroll. There is plenty of time to be lost in quiet prayer or simply stretched in the sun thinking long thoughts, the ocean music surrounds and enfolds me with its melodies. My whole person is at peace with the benediction of God, my Father’s blessing.
“O my Father, You are nigh! Your glory
fills the whole earth! All is well with my
soul! In Your presence there is joy
forevermore.”
