A little Sunday devo from Emily’s brain :)

A part of my gig here is leading actives. Today’s worship time was on me, just thought I’d share my notes with you all. Enjoy

— Emily

I was sitting out at the beach the other morning having some quiet time and I got mesmerized by the waves. It was a very cloudy morning and the sunrise itself was minimal but the ocean just caught me off guard in a new way and it was just so neat. I saw basically three things: waves, ghost crabs and birds. 

THE WAVES

The waves came in and they came out but they always came, they were always there. And that just reminded me of God. I had never really looked at the ocean and connected it with God in that way. I’d thought about God creating it and how amazing that was but this was new. 

It reminded me of how constant God is. Always there no matter what. The waves do not stop. 

The beach can be busy- you can walk up the walkway and look out and there are dozens of people. They have their umbrellas and tents set up. Their speakers are playing music, adults laughing and having a good time, kids are playing and running around. It’s busy…..But the waves are there. 

It can also rain at the beach- it can be windy and rainy and you don’t even really want to go out to see the ocean. But just because it’s not perfect and sunny doesn’t mean the waves stop, they are still there. 

The ocean can also have storms. Like legit stop you in your tracks, close the roads reroute you kind of storms. But the waves are still there too. 

Hebrews 13:8 says ”Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ….He is always there, He doesn’t stop. 

So in my little moment there on the beach I saw God as the waves. And then there were the crabs and birds. 

GHOST CRABS

Honestly I’m not a huge fan of them, they just kind of creep me out. They walk sideways, their eyes are on top of their head, I always feel like they are watching me, I feel like I have to watch out for them…like they are going to come get me. Like it’s a scorpion or something. Anyway…… they are there at the beach. They are living. They are working. They seem to have an alright life. They scurry across the sand, dig their hole and keep bringing scoops of sand out and then go back for more…. doing the same thing over and over. They can see the waves and hear the waves but they just keep digging their own hole….and then we have…..

The SANDERLING

This little bird is in tune with the waves!! There are usually two wading birds out there. There is a taller bird that wades and gets its grub and moves on —thats the Willet. But the Sanderling, man that things KNOWS the waves. The waves come up and the sanderling scurries up….the waves go back the sanderling scurries back, so in sync, so in tune with the waves. It rarely gets wet, it KNOWS the waves. The sanderling lives off of the waves. It gets its life source, its food from the waves. Its life is a beautiful dance with the waves. 

That reminds of Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways KNOW, recognize and acknowledge Him”…..be the Sanderling, know recognize acknowledge the wave and the life He brings you…..and second part of that verse holds promise….. “and He will direct and make straight  your paths.” If you see yourself more as the crab, just stop. Get out of your hole, out of your funk, stop digging and digging and go live by the wave. He’ll make your path straight, He promises it. Live like the sanderling, fully dependent and in sync with His rhythm.

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