Thanking God for the Nice Waves
Last evening we drove out along the coast to Estoril. Stopped at Carcavelos beach as the last vestiges of sunset drifted from the night sky. We were going to a prayer meeting in an old house that had been rented for the purpose for a weekend of nonstop prayer.
That evening the prayer was being led by a group of Christian surfers and it was excellent. Good to find a Christianity that is authentic, not trying to fit in to anything it isn’t, not trying to uphold dearly held traditions or maintain jealously guarded denominational lines. Simply trying to get close to Jesus
The guy opening the prayer meeting thanks God for the “belas ondas” - the nice waves. Now I’ve not been to many prayer meetings where the leader starts out by thanking God for the nice waves he had today. But maybe that’s because I don’t hang around surfers that much. But that’s how we should be. Thanking God for the things that matter to us. Recognising that He’s there and that He’s personal, and that He’s bothered about us and wants to be involved with us in our lives – the big things, the ups and downs, but also in all the details. Even catching a good wave. If you’re a surfer.
We had a three day break away last week down in the Algarve. It was the first time we’d managed to travel there since our arrival in Portugal. (And I’m sorry if I don’t get all the hype - the Lisbon coast has everything the Algarve has, and more!). But, sitting on a cliff overlooking the Praia de Falesia near Albufeira, I was amazed. Amazed by the immensity of it all. The blue, glistening with greens and white and silver. The small boats. Scatterings of cloud. An ocean that reaches out to forever. And a restless rush of water at the edge. That’s what waves seem to indicate to me. They’re powerful and they can be scary. But they’re a power at the edge of something that is much greater and much stronger. The waves tell us how strong and mighty the ocean can be. And so the waves of God’s grace on our lives, His goodness and the examples of His love washing over us each day, carrying us forward through the week. They’re all small indicators of something much deeper, more immense and much stronger.
The guy opening the prayer meeting thanks God for the “belas ondas” - the nice waves. Now I’ve not been to many prayer meetings where the leader starts out by thanking God for the nice waves he had today. But maybe that’s because I don’t hang around surfers that much. But that’s how we should be. Thanking God for the things that matter to us. Recognising that He’s there and that He’s personal, and that He’s bothered about us and wants to be involved with us in our lives – the big things, the ups and downs, but also in all the details. Even catching a good wave. If you’re a surfer.
We had a three day break away last week down in the Algarve. It was the first time we’d managed to travel there since our arrival in Portugal. (And I’m sorry if I don’t get all the hype - the Lisbon coast has everything the Algarve has, and more!). But, sitting on a cliff overlooking the Praia de Falesia near Albufeira, I was amazed. Amazed by the immensity of it all. The blue, glistening with greens and white and silver. The small boats. Scatterings of cloud. An ocean that reaches out to forever. And a restless rush of water at the edge. That’s what waves seem to indicate to me. They’re powerful and they can be scary. But they’re a power at the edge of something that is much greater and much stronger. The waves tell us how strong and mighty the ocean can be. And so the waves of God’s grace on our lives, His goodness and the examples of His love washing over us each day, carrying us forward through the week. They’re all small indicators of something much deeper, more immense and much stronger.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me!
Thank you God for the nice waves today!
photos: colin crawford catching a wave last easter at costa caparica
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