Summer Psalms: What Ocean Waves Taught Me About Peace

🌞 Summer Psalms: The Things God Taught Me Outside

Week 1:

This summer, I'm inviting you to slow down with me. Each week, I'll share a lesson God has been teaching me through the beauty of his creation... whether it's the ocean, a sunset, a thunderstorm, or a quiet walk outside. Every post is paired with a Psalm that echoes that lesson, reminding us that God often speaks through both his Word and the world he created. My prayer is that this series encourages you to pause, notice his presence in the ordinary, and discover that some of life's sweetest spiritual lessons are waiting just outside our front door.

Scripture: "Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty."- Psalm 93:4 (NIV)

Last weekend, I spent the day at the beach. It wasn't anything extravagant, I simply found myself sitting there, listening to the waves and watching them roll in one after another.

There's something about the ocean that has a way of slowing you down. For a little while, the constant notifications, to-do lists, and worries faded into the background. I just sat there, watching the water meet the shore over and over again. As I watched the waves, I couldn't stop thinking about how much they resemble life. They never stop coming.

One wave reaches the shore, and before it's even gone, another is already on its way. Some are gentle enough to barely notice, while others crash with enough force to make you take a step back.

Life has felt like that for me at times.

Just when one challenge seems to settle, another appears. One prayer is answered, and a new uncertainty takes its place. One season ends, and another begins before I feel fully prepared.

As I sat there, I felt God gently reminding me of something I needed to hear: the waves may never stop, but neither does his presence. That moment inspired me to open my Bible when I got home, and I found myself in Psalm 93. "Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty."

I smiled because it felt like God had already been preaching the message through his creation before I ever opened the scriptures. The waves may be loud. But his voice is louder. The waves may feel overwhelming. But his presence is greater. The waves may shake our plans. But they cannot shake his promises.

I've realized that peace isn't the absence of chaos. Peace is the presence of Christ. The ocean reminded me of that.

No matter how many waves reached the shore, the shoreline remained. The tide changed, but the ocean still answered to its creator. Every wave had a limit because God had already set its boundary.

If he can tell the sea where to stop, surely he knows exactly how far my circumstances can go.

Maybe today your waves look like anxiety. Maybe they're financial stress. Maybe they're heartbreak, unanswered prayers, difficult relationships, or simply the weight of trying to hold everything together.

Whatever they are, remember this: your peace was never supposed to come from calm circumstances. It comes from knowing the one who stands above every storm.

The waves will keep coming. But so will God's faithfulness. And every single time they crash, they remind us that there is one who is stronger.

A Prayer

Lord, when life feels loud and uncertain, remind me that you are louder than every fear I carry. Help me stop chasing a life without waves and instead trust the one who walks with me through them. Let your peace guard my heart, steady my mind, and anchor my soul. Thank you for being greater than anything that tries to overwhelm me. Amen.

Journal Prompt

What "waves" have been crashing into your life lately, and what would it look like to trust that God is greater than every one of them?