Our thoughts are a lot like waves. Sometimes our emotions are stormy and angry, other times choppy and unfocused, sometimes circumstances wipe us out leaving our psyche in s frenzy of confusion.
Unless we are grounded in faith, we will be tossed about and driven by our feelings. One minute our minds will rise to the crest of faith in hope and the next we will sink below the surface of doubt in despair. The Bible puts it this way. "When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (James 1: 6-8 )
World news, coupled with our own personal circumstances, can leave us feeling hopeless in the face of all the chaos. Even though we are surrounded by trouble we need to fight the urge to quit. Instead, we are encouraged to continue to pray no matter how long it takes for God to answer our requests. As children of God we don't get a free pass. We are not privileged. We are not oblivious to the trouble surrounding us. Instead, God tells us to pray in faith...before we see any change... and fight our natural tendency to doubt.
We can't have schizophrenic faith and expect to ride our wave to victory. At some point, we have to stop living in the shallow waters of fear and unbelief and go deeper to ride the "drop", the most uncertain moment of the wave. After all, life is always going to be unpredictable, thrilling and terrifying but God promises he will never leave or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)
Heavenly Father, Instead of fear and doubt I choose to let praise set the tone of my day. When doubt tries to overwhelm me, I will run to you as soon as I start to drift into unbelief. I believe you are my refuge and fortress, my God in whom I can trust.
Surfing info inspired by Srinivas Rao
Lessons from Surfers
