Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Shelter of the Sea

I feel your wet shifting sand ~ Taste your sweet salty air ~ And I am renewed again...With the joy of living.  ~D. Morgan

Breathe deep and smell the invigorating salty air.  Listen to the waves crashing like thunder and spraying your face with a fine mist, then listen in the quiet as they retreat into the sea.  Dig your toes into the warm sand, finding the cool dampness underneath.  Reach down and pick up the shell, dust the sand away and hold it to your ear, hear the sound of the distant ocean.  Look up and watch the wingspan of the crying seagulls as they dance in the sunlit sky.

From T. S. Eliot's "The sea has many voices" to Ralph Waldo Emerson's "I wiped away the weeds and foam, I fetched my sea-born treasures home" and to Robert Louis Stevenson's "And what is the sea? asked Will.  "The sea!" cried the miller.  "Lord help us all, it is the greatest thing God made." -- all show the love of the sea by poets gone by.

My brother-in-law loved the ocean.  Each year Ray would take Melodie to Cape May where they would stay in a bed and breakfast, walk the beach, pick up shells and watch the sun rise.  Last year Melodie wanted to go back to the place they loved so much.  I was able to go with her and it was a week full of old memories, honoring the romantic man Ray was, and making a few new memories of our own.





I had forgotten the charm of the ocean. In Longfellow's "The Sound of Sea" he says,

My soul is full of longing 
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.

It reminds me of Psalm 104, God, how great you are!  You stretched out the starry curtain of the heavens, and hollowed out the surface of the earth to form the sea. Can you picture the hand of God hollowing out the sea?   The thunderous waves? God made them.  The sands?  God made every grain.  The sea gulls and sand pipers?  Yes, God made them.


Photo by Ray Satterfield
Really, when you stop to think about it, the vastness of God's power is overwhelming.  Because as God's hand was hollowing out the sea, He was making a small oyster that would produce a pearl.  Some believe that pearls are  tears of the gods.  Others say they are dewdrops filled with moonlight that fall into the ocean and are swallowed by oysters.  We know the truth, God created them.  And when God surveyed His handiwork He said, "This is good."



The thought that God made the vast ocean and seas, yet planned the pearl causes a wave of joy.  He's a God of tiny details.  Yes, He can heal a man with leprosy and yet help me find my car keys. How great He is!  My God can make the sun to stand still and yet hear the prayers of my grandson praying for little Jon Budensiek, a boy he's never met.  How great He is!  God can open the doors of a prison and yet cares about my daughter's math test. As Ray Price puts it, "He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, yet small enough to live within my heart."

This God, this great God, is my God.  He shelters me with the crashing waves of the sea -- and with the knowledge of His greatness.  With the Psalmist I say, Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!  Let us shout His praise.

* * * * *

Shell Crafts

Martha Stewart has 28 shell crafts, including several I really liked. 

Disney's Family Fun has fun shell crafts to do with the kids.

The Shore Girl has ideas for sea themed cards.  Once you are at her blog, do a search for "sea" and you find some other ideas, too.


The Graphics Fairy has some neat printables you can use for cards.  Again, do a search for more.

By the Crystal Sea Sheet Music
          Vintage Seashell

Melissa and Doug have a whole line of sand toys.  Not going to the sea?  Use them in the sandbox.

22 comments:

no spring chicken said...

He can heal a man of leprosy and help me find my car keys. Yes! That is my God. The same God that created every beautiful detail of this earth, listens to ME when I pray... It's just too much. Thank you Jesus.

Blessings, Debbie

Esther Asbury said...

What a beautiful post -- made me relax just reading it!
Also reminded me how fortunate I am to live less than 10 miles from the sea (though it's more like 33 mi. to a good beach).....I've come to take it for granted since moving here a little over six years ago.
My absolute favorite memory of the sea is walking down the beach after dark -- by moonlight....so beautiful! And my second favorite is walking up the beach with a big waffle cone full of homemade custard - just relaxing with my family!
Thanks for linking to my blog, and for all the other fun links as well.

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Because of Daves speaking we get to spend a week on the Oregon Coast and enjoy the ocean. So grateful.

Glad you could go with your sis.

Fondly,
Glenda

Melodie said...

What a lovely surprise! I just posted a song about heaven and then found your new post complete with pictures of my man -- so many wonderful memories! He made every day a happy adventure!!

Holly said...

So true! It is so awesome that a God that carved out the canyons and formed the mountains cares enough about me to watch over me each day. So comforting and amazing. Hope you have had a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

Pamela! Such a lovely post with beautiful word pictures in poetry! Beholding His Glory in the things He has made is a favorite place of worship for me - I love to see the visible evidences of His attention to details - and I am awed that i am one of those details He takes such care over. Great thoughts to share. We'll be getting our Ocean City and Cape May time in this summer, too.
Joy!
Miss Kathy

Rebecca said...

I can't help but being a little jealous of your days spent on the ocean front...

Thank you for these grand thoughts of our grand and gracious Heavenly Father. (I haven't thought of that Ray Price song for a l-o-n-g time. Reminds me of Youth For Christ Convention in Winona Lake when I sang in the choir directed by Thurlow Spurr...)

Ruth said...

I love the ocean! You stirred up the emotions I associate with being there. Thanks for the beautiful description.
Living in Indiana doesn't allow for much beach time. My husband and I took a small trip away to Lake Michigan last weekend. Alas, not the real deal, but we savored the similarities.
Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely loved this post! Of course, I live by the sea. I never get tired of a walk on the beach or the ever changing views.

Shanda said...

Such a beautiful and well written post. I also love how the beach restores my soul and draws me closer to our Maker.

LaVonne said...

Very nice picture collage. I like it! Thanks for sharing those links too. Those are handy.

Happy Week and many blessings,
LaVonne @ Long Wait For Isabella

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

I love the ocean and miss seeing it...it is over a 6 hour drive away. I am always amazed at the greatness of our God when I stand on the shores of the ocean...all of His creation cries out to His glory and points us to the maker.

Unknown said...

I'm enjoying your beautiful photos. What a gorgeous sunset.

marlece said...

there is nothing like the beach to bring you to a peace and understanding of how BIG our God really is. It is overwhelming, and He is so good, isn't He?

Dave Lord said...

Bodies of water are impressive. Glad you rediscovered the wonders of the sea.

Connie said...

With your opening sentences, I could smell and hear the sea. My sister and I go every year to the north beaches of Washington (about a 4 hour drive).

I well remember the first year we went after my husband passed many years ago...prayers for all who love your brother-in-law.

Charlotte said...

So true. So true. We have a great great God. I love the oceans. It always amazes me to see how vast they are and how mysterious. And yet this same God is God of the tiniest details in our lives. Thank you for sharing this encouraging post.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Amy Sullivan said...

Ok, I'm so not a crafter, but I love some of your ideas at the end of your post. I love it when people gather cool ideas so I don't have to!

Little Birdie Blessings said...

What a great post about the sea, complete with photos and craft ideas. I love by the sea and can't imagine living elsewhere. It's my favorite place to go and reflect on the magnitude of God and his creation. ~ Abby

Tiffini said...

"He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, yet small enough to live within my heart."...loved this! So many prayers He has answered lately and I love the truth about our Father that He is in the details too...and the ocean is full of all kinds of emotion..and yes - to sit and imagine Him creating the sea..
xo

Michelle DeRusha said...

A beautiful devotional, Pamela -- and oh, you make me miss the sea, land-bound as I am in Nebraska!

Katie @ Spray Paint Queen said...

Oh. I so love the "How do I love you..." So sweet. I miss the beach sooooo much!