The Beckoning Whispers

   As I sit in the kitchen, the sound of the sea beckons me. From the beach house, the waters whisper, calling me to the beach. I grab my sunscreen and my towel and walk across the street and into the soft, dry sand. I sink ankle deep with each step, the gentle waves whooshing louder the closer I come. In moments I reach the water’s edge. The ocean’s beauty never ceases to amaze me. Blue stretches as far as my eyes can see. Summer’s gentle swells roll on the beach, breaking only a foot from where I stand.

Only when I step into the water do I feel the strength of its pull. Standing ankle deep, my feet sinking into the sand, I let the waves break against my legs. Small as the waves are, I feel their strength as they rush to the shore. I venture a little deeper, and the water breaks against my thighs, splashing up to my waist. I brace myself as larger waves approach, knowing they have the strength to knock me down. After breaking, the waves rush back to their ocean home, pulling against my legs, beckoning me to come deeper, to immerse myself in their crystal clear waters.

I look beyond the small summertime Pacific waves, and see the blue curve of the ocean’s edge, miles out to sea. I marvel at the power of the water, stretching for thousands of miles in every direction. A hundred yard from where I stand, the waves boom and crash against rocks and coral, thundering across the bay. What tremendous power lives in the ocean! It’s so great and so strong my mind cannot fathom it. Nor can I explore its depths. I observe only what washes ashore and what I can see from a few hundred yards out, as far as I feel safe swimming.

Just as the gentle waves washing the shore call to me, God calls His people in a still, small voice. In the quiet times when I listen for His voice, He calls to me, beckoning me closer. When I listen, He speaks clearer, louder.

As I wander at the edges of God’s greatness, experiencing His waves along the shore, I sense the awesome majesty and greatness of Him, stretching farther than my eyes can see, deeper than my mind can conceive. I hear His voice in still, small whispers, washing my soul clean, and I long to plunge in, swimming stroke by stroke nearer to the heart of God.

Father God, thank you for the beckoning whispers of your creation, drawing me ever closer to You.

Psalm 46:10a “Be still and know that I am God.”