by Emily Conrad

These waves bring me home, read the white letters drawn on the brown park bench.

Though the bench faced a lake, no waves were in sight, yet on seeing it, I put down my camera bag and lined up a few shots.
A group of young teens and their moms came down the trail, and I waited through their poses to get another photo.

When one of the moms asked what I was photographing, I pointed out the words. She hurried to snap a picture, too.

Poetry attracts us, especially when it’s true.

Waves do have a way of carrying us home.

Bad times make us draw closer to our ultimate source of protection and shelter.
Wind blows us home, waves carry us there.

And both are subject to the omnipotent God.

He gave the order for a windstorm,
and it stirred up the waves of the sea.
They reached up to the sky,
then dropped into the depths.
The sailors’ strength left them because the danger was so great.
They swayed and staggered like a drunk,
and all their skill proved ineffective.
They cried out to the Lord in their distress;
he delivered them from their troubles.
He calmed the storm,
and the waves grew silent.
The sailors rejoiced because the waves grew quiet,
and he led them to the harbor they desired. (Psalm 107:25-30, NET)

Wind and waves bring us to acknowledge our true place. We’re not in control. Our skill can’t save us.

For me, this is especially true of the wave of mortality. When a swell shows me again my need for hope, comfort, and peace that outlast death, I cling all the more tightly to the rock of faith.

Perhaps the wind and waves still howl and roll while we seek shelter on the Rock, but storms can’t destroy the soul sheltered by Jesus.

Some of my most earnest times of seeking God and fostering my relationship with Him have come from experiencing wind and waves.

Whatever waves we encounter on this sea, may they always carry us closer to the haven of Jesus.

May these waves bring us home.

When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. (Isaiah 43:2a, NET)

This post was originally published on 6/21/18.

Title image photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash, designed on Canva.com
All other photos, mine