The great unknown—that’s kind of what life feels like right now. No matter what age or stage you may be in, our inability to plan and function as we normally do has us all feeling a little uneasy. If I stop and think about it, our lives are always full of the great unknown, no more or less true today than it was before Covid-19, but perhaps living in the midst of a pandemic makes us acutely aware of it.
If you’re working, it’s extra hard right now. If you’ve lost your job, it’s extra hard right now. If you’re at home-alone, it’s extra hard right now. If you’re a parent with littles, I think your life is extra, extra hard right now. I carry on lots of conversation with people every single day, and it’s clear that so many are struggling.
While life feels heavy right now, specifically because of Covid, my heart has also been turned to the realization that some people’s lives are consistently difficult. Many times those circumstances are not a result of their own doing, yet they must endure daily, lifelong struggle that doesn’t go away. Covid only adds another layer to these situations. That perspective helps me see my problems as small.
I also think about our faith fathers whose lives were a whole new level of hard. Imprisoned with shackles and chains—hello! My life is so comfortable compared to that I can’t even. And yet, even knowing this, life can still feel heavy.
My church family has returned to in-person worship, and oh how good it has been to be together! As much as we have continued worship online as best we could, there will never be a substitute for God-ordained community. For me personally, it is the pouring out of my heart to God in song that connects me to Him and to His people in a way that transcends the struggles of this world.
Several years ago the Hillsong group came out with the song titled “Oceans.” I have loved it from the first time I heard it. It’s been playing on repeat in my head for weeks.
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery.
In oceans deep My faith will stand.
When I think of being surrounded by treacherous waters, I think of the final scenes in the movie Titanic. All of those people in the middle of the ocean, scared and wondering if they are going to live or die. The eeriness of seeing it on the big screen pales in comparison to what that must have really felt like.
When I think of all the changes that have taken place in our society just in the last few months, I am convinced that the dark waters we find ourselves in has shifted our focus. I KNOW where my priorities are supposed to be, but living life on the daily requires us to expend so much energy on the urgent, we neglect what’s most important. Perhaps it’s Satan’s finest work.
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed, and You won’t start now.
I’m trying to continually pivot my thoughts—because as I can attest, doing it my own way is not very pretty. In fact, I’ve heard my kids refer to me as “salty” more often these past few months than I care to admit. When I’m left to my own devices, I tend to flail around so focused on my own struggle that I fail to see those right next to me who are silently drowning.
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine.
I have a love-hate relationship with water. I love to be near it. I love the beauty of it. I love to hear the waves as they push against the shore. But I don’t like getting in too far. I don’t like the murky water with so many creatures lurking in it. I don’t want to be immersed in it, I just want to get my feet wet.
Sometimes God calls us to do more than just get our feet wet. He wants us all in, and that includes these uncharted waters we’re currently experiencing. When we are committed to doing things His way, even when we are fully immersed in the hard, heavy stuff, He is most glorified. Admittedly, it is a challenge, but I know His way is best. If we trust in His promise, He’ll use all this hard, heavy stuff for His good. And that makes it worth doing!
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior.
If only I would live that verse as loudly as I sing it, especially when I’m alone in the car, just me and God. I find great resolve in declaring those words. Almost like the story of the little engine that could…”I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!” With God we really can. He never promised easy, but He did promise His presence.
As we continue to walk through the great unknown, let’s join together, side-by-side and arm-in-arm. God has fully equipped His people to do hard things. He makes us better together as we keep our eyes above the waves.
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by The ZOE Group.
