The "Under Waves"

I love the beach.  I love swimming in the ocean, digging in the sand, and napping in my chair.  But mostly, my favorite is the first one...swimming.  I like to boogie board, body surf, and I’ve even tried to skim board.  When I was smaller, my dad and I would play this game in the ocean called “Over, Under.”

It’s a simple game. If you can go over the wave, you floated over.  If the wave was rough and starting to break, you would go under the wave.  Since I loved to swim, I’d pray that every wave was an “under wave.”  But a couple times, we’d be go out the day after a storm.  My prayers came true...but not as I would hope.  The “under waves” had major undertow.  I’d get sucked to the bottom, tossed around like plastic bag in the wind, and spat out 50 feet away from the umbrella (and when you don’t have your glasses on...it’s hard to find where you came from).

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There isn’t a whole lot of excitement with the “over waves” - even in life.  Life isn’t too fun just floating around.  You feel purposeless and bored.  We all secretly pray of “under waves.”

We pray for excitement in our life - let’s start a ministry, let’s serve downtown.  We seek “under wave” moments.  But sometimes “under waves” are waves before a storm, during a storm, and after a storm.

The waves are less of “Yay! Let’s do a fun trick underwater” and more like survival mode - kicking your way to the surface, praying you have enough air to make it above water, then hoping you can squint enough to get back to the umbrella (I mean...seriously, try to do anything without your glasses).

In college, I had a year of just “going through the motions.”  I prayed for revival in my life.  I prayed for a breath of fresh air, adventure, and God-filled excitement.

That prayer for “under waves” started as fun and quickly the waves got rougher.

No funding to finish my degree.

Roommate problems.

No job after graduation.

Then the waves subsided with leading a small group and getting a job.  Then I dared, pray the prayer again.

Church shopping.

Deaths of loved ones.

New (and worse) roommate problems.

No place to call “home.”

Work stress.

And when I finally came up for air….guess what….my glasses were still on the shore!  I mean, come on God, you can’t give my prescription goggles?

This past September, I found myself squinting trying to find my “umbrella” (God).  I knew my umbrella was there and which direction I should go.  The umbrella was a blurry blob in the distance (or maybe it was closer than I thought….really, I’m blind) that got clearer with every stroke.

But unlike a my childhood,

God met me in the ocean to give me my glasses. And DANG!  I could see so clearly.  

What I saw was that He was there all along.  When I swam away, when I fought through the waves, he chased after me and saved me from the waves and from myself.

So here I am...on the shore under my umbrella (see Psalm 46), do I dare pray the prayer for “under waves” again?

I read some of my old journals from the first storm….I wrote about the song “Oceans.”  A dear mentor of mine told me to listen to the song.  I remember saying, “Yeah, I’ve heard it 1000 times” (shout out to 2013!).  And she simply replied with, “Just listen - really listen.”

The song starts with:

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

Sometimes your feet on land cannot take you where swimming can (sorry Ariel).  Journeying on the land won’t take you to the depths the oceans can.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

So yes….yes I will dare continually to pray for “under waves.”  Every “under wave” is different.  Every “under wave” will spit me out somewhere new. Every “under wave” will strengthen my faith. Every “under wave” will push me deeper in my relationship with my Savior.

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.

--Isaiah 43:2