I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted to share with you this morning. It’s been on my mind for a few weeks, not just because, as we all know, this privilege comes with a fair amount of fear and trepidation, but because I’ve been learning so much lately in my own walk that I was having a hard time deciding on a main idea.
What I’ve been thinking about the most is one of the powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit I had just a few weeks ago, when Nate and I were at the marriage retreat. I have shared with many of you how the Lord orchestrated our attendance at the retreat in the first place, and I knew He was going to show up while we were there. On Saturday morning I got up early to go for a run. I didn’t really know where we were, but I knew Lake Michigan was close, and I do love Lake Michigan and didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see it. I pulled out my phone to see in which direction I should run to find the shore and realized it was only a quarter mile or so away. I started down the road, and as I got closer the sound of the water became louder and louder, and by the time I reached the beach it was deafening. It was so dark that I couldn’t see out into the lake, only the huge whitecaps that were crashing into the rocks on the shore. I tell you the truth, it took my breath away and terrified me, at the same time that it drew me in. After only a few moments I sprinted back toward the conference center, where I felt safer. For the rest of my run, in fact the rest of the weekend, I could hear the waves crashing in the distance. I hadn’t recognized the sound when I started out that morning, but it was undeniable after I had stood on the beach and experienced the roar. It could be heard from quite a distance away.
The experience quickly formed a spiritual metaphor in my mind, which I know was a gift from the Holy Spirit. The vastness, the might, the roar, the power of Lake Michigan was a powerful representation of the vastness, might, holiness, and power of our Almighty God. My proximity to the waves made my breath catch in my throat; it terrified me to be so near, and I knew it would swallow me if I got too close. The picture of our God who is so holy we can’t even glimpse him or we’d die but whose love for us is so great it can overwhelm and consume us, even as we resist, was so powerful for me that morning. As I continued my run, I crossed a bridge over the channel leading from Lake Mona, frozen in the depths of winter, to Lake Michigan. The water melted and started to flow faster as it neared the churning waters of the big lake. This was another powerful metaphor for God’s irresistible love and power, that can melt a heart frozen against him into himself. None of us can resist Him when he has called us. And just as the sound of the water was not recognized by my ears before I encountered the roar up close, but was ever-present and audible thereafter even at a distance, the presence of God is always around me, whether or not I am aware. Once I tune my heart to hear his voice, I can hear it more and more.
That morning I was overwhelmed by the power of our God to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. He is teaching me that His power is made perfect in my weakness. He is teaching me to be still and let his holiness, love, and blessing wash over me like a mighty wave. He is teaching me that He is our ever present help. He is showing me that He is with us.
Psalm 46 has been my favorite psalm since sixth grade. I’d like to share it with you this morning because many of the things that I’ve been learning echo in this psalm, and I hope it resonates with some of what I shared with you, even if the metaphors are a bit mixed. I trust that the Lord can speak to us even through my poetic failings.
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the Holy Place where The Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall.
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar,
kingdoms fall.
He lifts His voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us,
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolation he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth
He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord Almighty is with us,
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Our school theme verse for this year exhorts us, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story!” He has indeed given us a great story to tell, with little scenes throughout where we each experience His power, His goodness, His love. Thank you for hearing one of mine this morning. I’d love to hear one of yours, too. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, you are so good to us. You reveal yourself to us in new ways all the time by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your great love for us. God I want to thank you for each of these friends gathered this morning and pray that you would bless them in their work today with your kids. We know lots of kids are dealing with sickness right now, and we pray for healing for them and protection for those who are healthy. We lift up our staff members who are expecting new babies soon and pray for healthy moms and babies. We ask for comfort for Lieschen’s family as they mourn the loss of her grandpa. Give your comfort to the Seif family as well as they walk these final days with Joyce. Father we ask for healing for Amy Rottman as she deals with many health issues. Be with us in this day and bless the work of our hands. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
A Journey Worth Remembering 