“He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.” Daniel 2:21-22.
I may have already told you this story but it is a cute one worth repeating. Many years ago, I served as a 6th grade chaperone on a school field trip to the beach with a group of children who had never been there. When the group was ready to head home I asked this little girl if she had enjoyed the beach and she turned to me and said, ‘Yes, Mrs. Emmons, but I know this beach wasn't this big when I first got here.’ This sweet little girl didn’t understand the ebb and flow of the ocean.
Sometimes we too are perplexed and confused when the low tides of life change the landscape of our horizon. Just like the water, life drains out of our hearts and leave our riverbeds exposed revealing what lies in darkness below the surface. God already knows what is in our heart but arranges circumstances so that He can expose and reveal less than lovely attitudes and behaviors.
I am always amazed at low tide to see the muddy and littered surface of the riverbed. There have been seasons in my life when God exposed the deep and hidden parts of my heart, and it wasn’t much prettier than this picture at low tide. But I am grateful for every low tide allowed by God because of what it revealed that needed to be removed. There is still lots of work to be done on my heart’s riverbed, but I love the rhythm of God’s flow in my life of calm and chaos. There is always something to learn with Him when the waters recede.
When God sends the high tide back into our lives, the blessings rush in filling our hearts once again with peace, love and joy. The work has been done, the flow has shifted, and Light dwells once again. Don’t hate the low tides of your life for they are part of the necessary spiritual ebb and flow that God arranges to replace dark things with beauty.
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