Have you ever gotten carried away by the waves to realize that you are already a long way from where you started? In our emotional and spiritual life, we ??must be careful not to be tossed by the waves, but instead remain anchored to the rock.
Shaken by the waves
The waves can begin to rise for many reasons, and it is inevitable to feel their pounding. But what do we do while being tossed about by the waves? Do we react passively and let ourselves go, or drop our anchor to stand firm?
Paul uses the phrase “tossed by the waves” in his letter to the Ephesians as he calls them to be careful about what they believe, and to maintain unity in the faith. He tells them that when they are being mature, they will not be carried away by the waves, but will stand on the truth.
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. Ephesians 4:14 (CSB)
Paul’s reference is to a direct attack on our beliefs; and if we yield to those waves, we will fall into deception. There are also waves that rise up to attack our emotions and thoughts; these are an indirect attack on our faith.
Has it happened to you? That you wake up one day and for no apparent reason you begin to give more space to thoughts like:
- I don’t have enough.
- Everything is going wrong for me.
- I feel alone or I have no one.
- My efforts are in vain.
- My children are very difficult.
- There’s no hope.
- Why do I bother to do this or that?
These are just a few examples, but surely you can identify your own waves that rise up to shake you. The waves in our minds are filled with self-pity, misery, and despair.
While we pay attention to them, they increase and weaken us more and more every minute. If we stay right there, when we get our head out of the onslaught of the waves, we will realize that we are very far from where we should be.
Whether it is waves that attack your faith or your emotions, the answer is the same, we need a stability that does not depend on us.
Anchored in the Rock
As waves like these begin to shake us, we must resort to casting our anchor in our rock, the Lord. When these thoughts start to creep into my mind, I have to remind myself that I need to be grounded. While anchoring on our rock will be very helpful, it won’t stop the movement of the waves, but we will not be moved.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 (CSB)
Saying this is easy, but how do we do it? I begin by listening to worship songs that fill my mind with the Word of Truth. As I listen to the songs, I try to remember the Bible verses that support the lyrics.
By doing this, our mind stops wandering in vain thoughts and begins to turn to the nature of the Lord and his Word. Then I begin to pray, based on the thoughts that have been coming up and the Word that I have remembered.
Praying, remembering the Word and worshiping the Lord for who He is, leads us, sustains us in the midst of difficult thoughts that weaken us. It reminds us that we are free, that we have a refuge and an incomparable strength.
Anchoring ourselves in the rock, will not make the waves disappear, nor will it completely eliminate their effects; but it will certainly help us to face what is going on in our mind. It will keep us safe even as the waves toss us around.
You don’t have to do it alone
If you’ve been battling waves like these for a long time, and what I’ve just described seems to be impossible. You don’t have to do it alone, seek help from a professional or a mature sister in Christ; to help you navigate your waves and to help you drop your anchor. Seeking help does not make your faith less, nor does it make you weaker; rather, it shows your longing to take refuge and hide in the Lord.
Waves will p