Though The Waves Roar...
Have you
read the book of Jeremiah lately? Last
month the Lord led me to Jeremiah chapter five. I don’t remember what I was
studying at the time or even the reason I was reading Jeremiah five, but when I
read verse 22, my breath caught. I’m sure I’ve read Jeremiah 5:22 hundred times in my 30 plus years of walking with
God, but that day was different.
“Do you
not fear Me?' says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have
placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot
pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail;
though they roar,
yet they cannot pass over it.’”[1]
When I
saw the portion, “…Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a
perpetual decree, that it cannot pass over it?” my mind immediately pictured
the ocean at Sunset Beach, North Carolina, with its soft, white sand. As I
stood there gazing across the seemingly endless blue-green water, I remember
the squawk of the seagulls and the hint of salt and fish misting my face. Waves swelled, peaked, and then toppled over
in frothy whitewater hurrying toward the sand.
That
day, we probably stayed on the beach longer than we should have and by late
afternoon, the tide began to come in with rowdy and boisterous waves. Although
it was somewhat unsettling to see the water creeping ever closer to where we
were sunbathing, after some time it calmed and came no further.
To my
unscientific mind, I just chalked it up to gravity, the earth’s rotation, the
pull of the moon, and all the other geological things I don’t understand. I
really didn’t give it another thought until I read Jeremiah 5:22. Then it made
perfect sense.
It’s not
by some fluke that the ocean waves do not overtake the land. No, it’s by the
Lord’s perpetual decree. The sand is the boundary He has placed and it must
obey. Even in hurricanes, when the waves roar, tossing to and fro, they cannot
prevail. They must return to their God-ordained place.
But,
Jeremiah lived over 2,500 years ago. And, although I know God’s Word stands true
no matter what, I began to think about global warming reports, the ozone layer
holes and the polar ice caps melting. Where would all the water go if the ice
converted to its liquid state? Should we be concerned?
How
would global warming proponents view Jeremiah 5:22? Would they pass it off as
ancient words without meaning?
So, I
decided to do some research and of course, I found a YouTube video: Earth Under Water Worldwide Flooding Sea
Level Rise (SLR). The promo reads:
“Published on Aug 8, 2013: Miami,
New Orleans and New York City completely under water it's a very real
possibility if sea levels continue to rise. In Earth Under Water we'll see
these events unfold as leading experts forecast how mankind will be impacted if
global warming continues. They'll break down the science behind these
predictions and explore ways humanity could adapt, including engineering vast
dams near San Francisco, or building floating cities outside of New York.” [2]
What
they say is frightening and their video editing of a flooded earth caused me
sudden trepidation. But, the Lord brought me back to Jeremiah 5:22 and reminded me of His Genesis covenant:
“Thus I
establish My covenant with you: Never
again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall
there be a flood to destroy the earth…I set My rainbow in the cloud and it shall be for the sign of
the covenant between Me and the earth.”[3]
Then God
asked, “Do you believe My Word?” Limply, I answered, yes, but quickly pleaded,
“Lord, increase my faith!”
How do
you feel? Are these words irrelevant in our time? Do they take a backseat to
scientific predictions? Or, is the God of the whole universe still in control
and His Word stands true until He says otherwise?
I’m
holding to the latter. How about you?
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