My dear husband took me to a small rocky beach on the Great Lake. We rested in God’s gifts, feeling warm breezes, watching holiday boaters, hearing gentle waves splashing stone piles. Under the canopy of blue sky and wispy clouds, we noticed seagulls soaring, carried by the wind.
Carried.
One was carried into the water and began to rest and surrender into the lake’s rhythmic waves. Each wave drew the bird further from its original landing spot.
Suddenly, it began spinning as the loud motor of a speedboat attacked each wave’s calm, regular movement. Thrown almost airbound, the waves still supported the bird.
The gull surrendered into the waves, being carried into many new and opposing directions.
Yet, it didn’t scramble, panic, flee. It seemed content in the way the waves held it up.
Content in being carried. Content in being upheld.
In the waves of our suffering, how can we find contentment? Are those waves the very context for our being carried and held up? Perhaps the birds and waves point us to the Lord’s gift of teaching in Scripture and our response to Him in song today.
Who holds all things together?
In my own suffering with physical pain that day, my heart comforted as I considered His answers in Scripture.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span? (Is. 40:12a ESV)
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! (Ps. 93:4 ESV)
Who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea (Job 9:8 ESV).
Who holds my faith as I suffer?
The One who created, measured, marked off, and holds together every wave? He is also the One who carries us and holds our faith together, in our choppy waves of suffering.
Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me (Ps. 139:10 ESV).
When I fear my faith will fail,
Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail,
He can hold me fast!
Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand (Ps. 73:23 NASB).
He will hold me fast,
He will hold me fast;
For my Savior loves me so,
He will hold me fast.
You hold me up and carry me as Your precious child, as I suffer
I could never keep my hold,
He must hold me fast;
For my love is often cold,
He must hold me fast.
I am precious in His sight,
He will hold me fast;
Those He saves are His delight,
He will hold me fast.
And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand (Rom. 14:4b ESV, emphasis added).
He’ll not let my soul be lost,
Christ will hold me fast;
Bought by Him at such a cost,
He will hold me fast.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever (Ps. 41:12 ESV).
Content with how You are holding me up
Waves finally brought the gull safely to the rocks. Completely still, fully at rest on a rock, the bird simply gazed at the waves.
My thoughts drifted to this saying, commonly attributed to Charles H. Spurgeon, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.”
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:10 ESV).
Lord, You hold my faith fast in Your sovereign care when waves intensify. Please teach and strengthen me, in my weakness and need. Grow me into deeper maturity in this suffering, helping me to learn contentment as I rest in Your loving care during waves of suffering in this fallen world. Help me to learn more of You, as You carry me in this life of faith, through Christ, my Redeemer and Savior.
Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually! (Ps. 119:117 ESV)
For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Is. 41:13 ESV).
Help me hold fast to Your truth as You carry me
Hold fast to what is good (Rom. 12:9; 1 Thess. 5:21 ESV).
Hold fast until I come (Rev. 2:25 ESV).
I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown (Rev. 3:11 ESV).
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:23 ESV).
Lord, because You’re holding me fast in these waves of suffering, help me to carefully hold fast to Your truth as Your Spirit illuminates Your Word today. In the name of Jesus Christ, Who is the way, the truth, the life, and my Lord, amen.
So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (Eph. 4: 14).
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability (2 Pet. 3:17).
He will hold me fast,
He will hold me fast;
For my Savior loves me so,
He will hold me fast.
(“He Will Hold Me Fast,” Habershon, A. R., 1908)
A playlist to praise God for holding me up
This week, let’s sing of the Lord’s continual presence, of the ways He always holds us up in our suffering. Let’s praise Him for the ways He carries us in the hard. Let’s sing His Word together to hold fast to the confession of our hope and to what is good!
If this would bless you, I’ve professionally curated a playlist on this theme, based fully in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray the songs will be ones you and I can sing to our hearts as we sing to Him this week, finding contentment and peace because He holds us fast in His love.
2 Comments
Sandra Arbeni · September 16, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Amen to this entire post.
Isn’t it amazing that some of us, including myself, can have real joy in the presence of physical disabilities.
One of my mottos is: when I am weak, then I am strong.
It doesn’t matter where I am, the Lord hears both my praises and cries. When I am in the bathroom crying out in pain, Jesus gently takes my hand and holds me until the pain passes.
It’s incredible the strength we can get by truly believing in Jesus. It’s exhilarating that I’m actually bursting with the love of Jesus and am filled with the Holy Spirit. He lives within every inch of me.
Thank you so much for your mission.
Lauri Hogle · September 19, 2021 at 3:42 pm
Dearest sister, these days, my verse on repeat is “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). He hears our every cry, bottles our every tear, and absolutely gives us His power to endure the pain. Moment by moment, by His grace. By His gift. He’s bringing about our faith in each moment. He’s growing our faith as He perfects us into more and more holiness. He is always with us by His indwelling Spirit. It is truly incredible!! I’m praying for you as we walk together toward that day when we stand at God’s throne with restored bodies and all of our tears and pain will be gone forever! God bless you, Sandra!
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