Waters Rising

Lindisfarne is a small island just off the coast of Northumberland.

It is only accessible at certain times of the day as, when the tide comes in, the island is completely cut off and is isolated in the North Sea. Cars are advised to leave the island an hour before the tide comes in (unless they are staying on the island), as the water rises so quickly, completely covering the causeway.

Despite many warnings at either end of the causeway, cars have had to be abandoned and stranded passengers have had to be rescued over the years as reckless drivers have tried to outrun the tides.

Today, we watched in amazement as the water rose so quickly. Within seconds it crawled across the causeway and inched its way towards our feet (You can just make out the disappearing road at the bottom of the photo). It was easy to see how some people get stranded, when you saw how rapidly the waters rose.

Sometimes things in life can creep up on us, too. Before we know it, we find ourselves surrounded. We are stranded in the middle of situations with no memory of how we got there and no obvious way of escape.

But the Bible tells us that we need never feel out of our depth, or in over our heads, as God will always step in and rescue us.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."
[Isaiah 43:2 NIV]

And I like the same verse in The Message translation, as it explains why God will save us.

"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Saviour.
I paid a huge price for you (...)
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!"
[Isaiah 43:2-4 MSG]

Some of the lyrics from "Your Love Never Fails" by Jesus Culture reflect this idea -

"The wind is strong and the water's deep,
But I'm not alone here in these open seas.
Your love never fails."

When we are surrounded, we need never feel stranded, because God will rescue us and His love never fails.

S

Tides

Summer has finally arrived: I have been swimming in the sea.

I love swimming in the sea. And I much prefer it to swimming in a pool, or even in the river. I love paddling tentatively at the water's edge; splashing and swimming around in my own space, and the unending blueness that stretches out, blending into the horizon.

And most of all, I love the waves.

I don't pretend to understand in too much detail what creates the waves (I remember a little from GCSE Geography, but not enough to make much sense here), and I understand in even less detail why the tide goes in and out, except that it has something to do with the moon...

What I do know, though, is that the tide is always regular and reliable. Out and in and out and in and out and in.

Like breathing.

Over and over again.

Regardless of the weather, regardless of the time, regardless of the time of year. The tide is constant.

It is the refrain of beach life.

And God's faithful and enduring love is the refrain of our lives.

Psalm 136 was written to remind the Israelites of all of the different times that their God had been with them and it can remind us of His faithfulness too. Each event that is described in the Psalm is followed by "His love never quits" or "His love endures for ever" in the NIV translation.

"Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits."
[Psalm 136:1-3 MSG]

In the same way that we can trust that the tide will continue its cycle day after day, year after year, we can trust that God's love will continue day after day, year after year. Whatever the circumstances.

His love never quits.