God Is...Movement

In 2020 the family that I had been been nannying for, for 2 years, relocated to the Blue Ridge Mountains area. I had been traveling every week to their lake house and spending 2-3 days with the kids. Although I did love the children, my favorite part about spending time up there was the lake. Something about the water commanded stillness in my soul. It demanded for me to silence my thoughts and listen intently to what the Lord was saying. With all the craziness that was going on in the world at the time... I learned to value the stillness. One week while doing my devotion on the water, I was sitting there listening to worship music and admiring the way that the water was moving, when I heard clear as day and very softly, "... and I will trust the God who controls the tides" I've always heard "I will trust the God who controls the waves" so the word tides kind of caught me off guard. As I began to research exactly what a tide was, I began to understand exactly what the Lord was trying to communicate with my heart. Waves are outward motions, but tides are unseen movements that determine direction. The tide decides how aggressive the waves will be. The tide determines how low or high the water is. The tide determines the direction in which the water flows. The tide is unseen but it is powerful. It is easy to focus on the beauty of the waves without acknowledging the driving force behind their beauty.... the tide. As I sat there I said out loud (this is how God and I communicate) "I kind of get where you're going here... but... if you could make it clear that would be great". This is what I heard, that I felt led to share with you: It is easy to trust God and His plan when the movement of the water is smooth and the waves are beautiful... but the true determination of trust is our ability to trust God and see the beauty in what He's doing when the tide has turned the water into a tsunami. It is easy to trust God and see his hand when it's a beautiful day on the beach, but it's a bit harder to reach for his hand in the midst of a storm. It's hard to understand that He's moving in both scenarios. It's hard to understand that He still controls the tide -- even when it's out of control. 2020, and even the beginning of 2021, moved much different than many of us planned for; me included. However, here's the encouragement -- He can be trusted. He can be used for safety. His hand is steady and secure. I'm reminded of Peter on the water. The tides and the waves were out of Peter's control, but He was so focused on the one who controlled the tide that he continued to have stability -- even in the midst of the storm. (I'm aware that he lost focus, and slipped, but it doesn't change the fact that as long as he was focused -- he was stable). There is no promise for perfection in 2021, but there is a promise for stability even when the tide is unpredictable. I know that I won't get it all right in 2021 but I will do my best to trust the God who controls it all, even when things don't look the way I thought they would. I will choose to anchor in to the God who holds tomorrow, even when today seems as if it is tossing me every which way. God not only controls movement -- He is movement. So I will trust the way He leads. It's not out of His control, even if it feels out of your control. He can be trusted with the direction of your life.

I hope you'll lean into that truth.