By Trudy Loots

 I grew up on the East coast of Florida in Jacksonville but have lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past four years. One of the first differences I noticed between the two places was the waves. The Atlantic Ocean boasts huge waves that the Gulf of Mexico only receives if a hurricane or storm rolls through. I was listening to a worship song recently that stated: 

"I'll stare down the wavesCause You own the tideI still myself and knowYou wait for meOn waters wildWhere faith walks above the storm"

 The waves in my life come in the form of interruptions, loss of control, disappointments and let-downs. Basically, things I didn't plan for.  When I was a little girl I would stand on the shore and try to jump over or dive into the waves. I usually ended up with a sandy bikini or swallowing salt water. When I try to fight the waves of life on my own, within my own capacity of thinking, I usually wind up with the same result, a sandy bikini and a runny nose.  God never asked us to fight the waves alone. He asks us every day to trust in Him.Jeremiah 17:7-8 says “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” The same God who controls the tides is the same God I'm able to have a direct conversation with anytime I face the waves of life!  I get to declare my trust in him and submit my waves to HIS control. I get to ask for HIS influence when I can't stand what life is throwing at me. Better yet, I can ask Him for specific requests of what I desire. Praying His will above all things and rest knowing he is in control. If you're like me, you can get stuck in doubt. You think that you deserved that "wave" or certainly God has a reason that "wave" needed to knock you off you feet and you're supposed to just stay put and let the waves keep you down. Whether the waves are coming from a person, an organization or even your own doings, you don't move. You become a victim along the shoreline. Doubt quickly sinks your feet into the ground like sinking sand. God warns us against this type of thinking in James 1:6 "But 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." I don't know about you, but I am deciding to stop playing in the waves and instead stare them down.  I can rest because my Heavenly Father owns the tide! God, show us how to live with our confidence in you.  Search our hearts and see what's there.  Show us how to trust you when things don't go the way we planned.