Christmas 2019
Then God said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place," and He called it the Seas. And God saw that it was good! - Genesis 1:9,10.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
I have been thinking a lot this year about how bodies of water have been such a large part of my life. I've been reflecting on each one and its impact on me. Specifically, being thankful and moved by how those waters have not only delighted my senses of sight and sound, but more importantly, refreshed my soul.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
My first 18 formative years were spent on the Wisconsin shores of Lake Michigan. Innumerable family beach picnics, walks out on the pier, playing catch and diving for thrown balls while waist-high in the water, or just sitting for hours in the sand watching and hearing the unrelenting waves come and go. Those years laid a foundation for my lifelong love of the beach.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
During about 8 of those formative years, my annual "can't wait" experience was the 1-3 week trek to the Upper Peninsula and the very private shoreline of Farmer Lake, Michigan. In reality, Upper Peninsula Bible Camp life on the lake was the highlight of my childhood. Learning to water ski, row a boat, share thoughts around a campfire, learn how to have a private quiet time with God, and eventually hold hands with my first girl ever were God-given gifts to me and forever memorialized in my heart. That girl sits here with me tonight, and all of those camp experiences next to that small lake impact me to this day.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
Moving into early marriage days, God's water blessings continued at Lake Odessa with multiple coffee cruises at sunset, water skiing, family get-togethers both large and small, card games into the night, and relatives crammed sardine-like into a makeshift attic dormitory. And for me, wonderful private quiet times with God at the small beachfront and a divine appointment with a young man named Alex. All of these wonderful experiences occurred against the beautiful backdrop of the water we affectionately called Lake O.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
In earlier years, Marilyn and I and the family lived in Southern California, with many fun times at the Pacific Ocean. In later years, my siblings and I and all of our spouses returned to a beachfront home on the Pacific Ocean for a week with my widowed mom. It was a glorious time, and little did I know that saying goodbye to her on the Pacific Ocean would be my last time to see her, as she died a week later. A dear lady who privately slipped me a $200 check from her meager $800 monthly income as we parted and told me she loved me.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
When our children were younger, we were also blessed to live in the Chicagoland area and spent many days enjoying family times on Lake Michigan – the lake of my childhood.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
Later, in God's Providence and His love for us, we were brought to the incredible Tega Cay surrounded by the beautiful waters of Lake Wylie. Over 30 years now of family times and individual memories around the water, too numerous to list in total.
Windjammer Beach has certainly been the highlight location for many of those times. For me now in my senior years, morning walks at that beach and devotions overlooking the water have been priceless connections with God.
Thank you, God, for your water!
Each year for at least two decades now, Marilyn and I have enjoyed our favorite annual getaway to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach. Memories are deeply embedded of early mornings with the rising sun beaming into our room, coffee and Bibles in hand on balconies and on sofas, staring at the ocean. Then afternoons of enjoying the lapping of waves at our feet, strolls along the shoreline, and just sitting for hours staring at the ocean in reflection and refreshment. Then, at day's end as dusk appears, standing arm in arm on our deck overlooking the darkening seas and taking one last inhale of God's creation.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
For 10 years now, Marilyn and I have enjoyed the blessing of a gift from God of a house in Florida near the incredibly scenic Gulf of Mexico. My mere words cannot adequately convey the heart blessing and Spirit refreshing of morning walks along the ocean, the endless slosh of waves divinely allowed to come in so far and no more, and the glories of the evening setting sun with its glow painting a new picture on the heavenly canvas each evening. And my deeply personal and intimate morning times with God, sitting in my car at Englewood Beach. Those times give me the closest glimpse of my Forever Home and always hit the refresh button in my walk with God.
Thank you, Lord, for your water!
But as wonderful as these bodies of water have been to my mind and spirit over 72 years, I more keenly realize the significance of God's Divine water to my eternal soul. He told me in John 4:14, "Phil, if you drink of the water that I give you, you will never thirst. And the water that I give you will become in you a fountain of Living water springing up into everlasting life." And HE told me in Psalm 23:3 that HE would lead me beside still waters.
Finally, my Lord has given me water in my future, Forever Home! He tells me in Revelation 7:17 that "the Lamb (Jesus), who is in the midst of the throne, will lead me to living fountains of water and wipe away every tear from my eye." Concluding His promise and preparation for me in Revelation 22:1-4, He promises a "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. In the middle of its street and on either side of the River are the trees of life, which bear 12 fruits – each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the trees will be for the healing of the nations. And He said that I will see His face and His name will be on my forehead!"
Lord, thank you for your eternal water for my soul!