Oceans come in all shapes and sizes


I used to listen to this song and sing it in church and think, "Good grief! Why would any of us sing this?!"

 "Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders! Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander!' 

That's asking God to do some mighty big stuff, isn't it? What if He asks me to move to Africa? Will He want me to sell all of my things, uproot our family, and go to a foreign nation?!

Why do our minds always go there? Why do we think God intends for all of us to be in a different culture, learning a different language, sharing the gospel to an unreached people group…(fill in the blank with your radical list of callings)

What if this is our ocean?? - right here in this great land of very lost people who are turning more and more to what is right in their own eyes, where religions and spiritual groups of people are all starting to blend together in a jumbled up mess of confusion.

Or what if our ocean is just stepping into the deep waters of having children and attempting to raise them? Maybe our faith will be made stronger by putting our house up for sale. I know I have trouble keeping my eyes above the waves in many different circumstances that occur throughout my day. 

Here's what I know: I truly want to walk upon the waters wherever He calls me. Sure, it's easier to wrap my head around a simple move across cities in Texas versus selling everything and literally crossing oceans. What if that's what He has for me, though - living here, navigating the waters He has me wading through day in and day out? I'll tell you - I put plenty of borders up. I would never choose to take my feet into certain depths, but I will choose to rest in His embrace. I will keep singing the words of this song as I watch my kids grow up and make mistakes in life…as I look to the leadership of my husband in our household…as I make decisions for schooling and disciplining these five kids. I want Him to break down my borders of trust in Him, so that I can know what it is to be in the mysterious waters of oceans deep. 

I am His, He is mine. I will rest in that…in big or small oceans, in deep or shallow waters, I will prayerfully and fearfully dive into the depths He calls me to, claiming that He indeed is good, He is faithful, He answers our prayers, and He holds us through it all.

"O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as You are, O Lord, with Your faithfulness all around You? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them." (Psalm 89:9)

"Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!" (Psalm 93:4)


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