March 2nd, 2024
Dear Friend,
As a child, I was fascinated by the rain.
I loved to watch the raindrops fall, creating circular ripples that spread and merged.
Each tiny perfect sphere that bounced up and fell, growing smaller each time, held me captive.
The first time I saw the ocean, I was three.
We were on the island of Tobago and had taken a glass-bottom boat to the Nylon Pool.
This waist-deep, crystal-clear pool is formed by a large underwater sandbar.
At age three, I only knew we were surrounded by deep water.
When my dad stepped out of the boat and held out his hands for me, I remember screaming for dear life.
I didn’t notice that he was standing on solid ground, which was perfectly safe.
Water
Scripture contains so many intriguing references to water.
In the beginning, God’s Spirit moved over the face of “the Deep.”
A Great Flood covered the earth, but an ark survived.
The Red Sea parted to let the Israelites pass but drowned their enemies.
Moses called water from a rock enough for over two million people plus livestock. Twice.
Captain Naaman submerged himself in the Jordan River seven times and was healed from leprosy.
Then there’s Jesus.
Above the Water
Jesus walked on water.
He talked to the storm.
He turned water into wine.
Blood and water flowed from His side, but He came back to life.
And finally, He poured out His Spirit to give us Living Water.
But what about the “Sea of Troubles.”
What is that?
And then, in Revelation, “the sea is no more.“
Water’s Edge
The vision of God’s hands moving the water to create, purge, cleanse, heal, and renew life is breathtakingly beautiful.
Jesus said, “Peace. Be Still,” to the wildest waves, and they obeyed.
That means God is in control.
But what does that mean for me, here at the edge of the sea?
I can’t walk on water.
Into the Deep
I think of a baby protected by the amniotic fluid in a mother’s womb.
I read about Jesus’ disciples, seasoned fishermen, screaming in fear at the storm.
Matthew 8:25 – “The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
These images are at extremes from one another.
I am somewhere in between.
But the God who knit me together in my mother’s womb is the One calling me out into the deep.
Fathoms Below
The Biblical “Deep” is so mysterious.
It is steeped in thick darkness that hides all light.
My eyes can’t see in that darkness.
Who can?
In fact, why is the darkness even a thing?
What is its purpose?
A Dimming Darkness
Did you know our universe is not supposed to be dark?
Scientist believe there are so many stars that their light overlaps to cover the heavens.
From our viewpoint, the sky should be brilliant day and night.
I can’t imagine that.
It would be too bright for our eyes.
How would we see the stars?
Dark Matters
Scientists have developed a theory about what is responsible for darkness: Dark Matter.
They made many special calculations, such as measuring the mass of our planet and subtracting it from the mass of all the space from Earth to the sun.
The math didn’t add up.
Either the numbers were wrong, or something else was there.
A Watery Darkness
Dark Matter isn’t visible, but it acts like water.
It is theorized that Dark Matter may be responsible for light, heat, sound, and gamma rays traveling through space in waves.
Even gravitational forces curve around our planet like water around a volleyball.
I can imagine the dark depths of space as a vast ocean.
Is this the Sea of Troubles on which Earth is adrift?
Waves of Grace
Is that why we have good days and bad days, highs and lows?
Then I thought, what if there were no waves?
Just a dead calm.
Wouldn’t that be peaceful?
Perhaps not.
The mirror-smooth surface of the ocean would hide the horizon and create mirages.
Ask the captain of the Titanic.
Without waves, no low troughs would surge into high crests from which to sight land.
There would be no tides moving in and out.
The circulation of nutrients, salt, and oxygen for ocean life would end.
And the sea would remain unmoved.
Genesis 1:2 – “…And the Spirit of God moved over the face of the Deep.”
The Spirit
God is invisible.
He is Spirit, Light, and Love.
Why does He cloak Himself in thick darkness?
And there it is.
Hidden in Shadow
The original Hebrew language in Genesis describes the Darkness:
“The image cast by the interception of light with a solid object.”
Light and matter create a shadow.
Psalm 139:12 – “Indeed, the darkness will not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the Light are both alike to You.”
God is invisible, but He IS the Light.
Under His shadow is the safest place to be.
Psalm 91:1 – “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide (live and not die) under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Let His perfect love cast out any fear of the unknown.
Waves of Mercy and Grace are bringing us to where the waters end.
They will not cross the boundary God set for them.
Beyond the Sea
Revelation 21:1, 3-4 – “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.
God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
In Rain and Storm
No matter how deep the darkness seems or how high the waves grow, the Ark will hold.
God is with us in ways we cannot yet see.
But the math adds up.
He will bring us to the other side.
In case you forget, there’s a rainbow at the end of every storm.
God’s promise is true.
He will never leave you or forsake you.
You are loved.
Believing God,
Monisha
