Wave After Wave
Life is an adventure
that can be both exhilarating and exhausting; it can be filled with anticipation and trepidation! To me, it’s like a big ride in an amusement park that motivates all the senses and even more. Navigating our way through life is not always easy, so with that thought in mind I began meditating on what to write for this blog and have come to the conclusion that we truly need God’s help in this journey.
Several years ago, my wife Jane and I were hosting 70 pastors at a Pastoral Training in Eldoret, Kenya. This was an “exhilarating” adventure fill with positive “anticipation!” During the flight from the USA to Kenya, I had not moved around much and ended up with what was later determined as a blood clot causing me serious health challenges while there.
Breathing became very difficult to the point where I had acquired dark circles under my eyes and as I taught in the classes I would almost blackout. I would then recover enough to go on while the interpreter spoke. This great life adventure had now moved from “exhilarating” to “exhausting” and from positive “anticipation” to a deep sense of “trepidation.”
I even sat my wife down and instructed her on the steps to take should I actually die on this trip. Every day was a downward spiral. Then one night I had a “night vision” and found myself standing on the ocean shore with the sun just touching the water - the sun did not go down or rise any higher. With the sound of the waves, a deep sense of peace and worship came up in my spirit as wave after wave came in. The peace became more amazing with every wave and the sense of acceptance and love by God became more tangible. (There is more to this night vision which I may share at a later date.)
Although this happened several years ago, this comes to my mind often and is so real to me it is as if it just happened yesterday. It has become my “secret place” of refuge in times of storm and my amazing place of worship in good or negative situations. The Lord helped me to discover a verse in the Bible that describes this place and how it is there for all who believe - even today!
John 1:16 Amplified Bible “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received (all had a share and we were all supplied with) one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift (heaped) upon gift.
Can you see it? Are you able to receive this? Wave after wave out of His fullness! When we are weak, His strength is made perfect. When we fall short, His grace is abundant. When all seems well, He gets all the praise!
Imagine yourself standing on the shore of the ocean. Your feet are just touching the water as you’re standing on the Word of God. The sun is hanging in a perfect position radiating the warmth of God’s love. Even as the ocean’s waters seem inexhaustible, so is the fullness of God found in His Word as the Holy Spirit reveals all that God has to offer us through the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross. Wave after wave, grace upon grace, favor upon favor, gift heaped upon gift.
