17th-23rd November 2025
When the Waves Keep Coming
Recently, Vivienne and I headed up to Ballycastle seeking a bit of sunshine as the weather at home was overcast and foggy. We just needed some sun on our faces and a good walk along the beach with our dog. The sky was cloudless when we arrived, the air was fresh, the views spectacular and the sea stretched out in all its beauty and power. As we walked along the beach, I noticed how the waves were rolling in with surprising force. Each one seemed stronger than the last, crashing onto the sand and racing up the beach across the pebbles with that rumbling, grinding, rattling, gurgling, shushing sound that is almost hypnotic! If you weren’t careful, you could easily be caught out by the speed of the tide coming in and end up finding your feet suddenly soaked!
Watching those waves and the tide coming in reminded me of the old story I used to hear as a child about King Canute. He was a mighty ruler over England, Denmark and Norway. One day his followers flattered him saying that even the sea would obey his command. To prove a point, Canute set his throne by the shore and ordered the tide to stop. Of course, the waves kept rolling in, drenching his feet. Turning to his followers, he said, “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name but He whom heaven, earth and sea obey by eternal laws.”
Standing by the water’s edge, I felt something similar — a reminder that there are powers in life far beyond our control. The sea is a vivid picture of both beauty and danger, calm and chaos. Sometimes life feels like that too. The waves keep coming; challenges, worries, losses or unexpected changes and we can at times feel swept off our feet.
The Bible often uses the sea as a symbol of overwhelming times. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,” God promises in Isaiah 43:2. And again in Psalm 93:4: “Mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty.” We can’t command the tides of life to stop, but we can trust the one who commands the waves.
Faith does not mean denying the storms or expecting everything to go our way; it means knowing who stands above them and learning to trust in an all-powerful, sovereign God.
The winds may rise, the waters may surge and the waves may crash at our feet, yet none of these are beyond God’s reach. Just as the tide comes and goes by his command so too the seasons and struggles of our lives remain within his sovereign care. What feels wild and uncertain to us is not chaos to him. The waves that frighten us are the same waves he often uses to shape our faith and draw us closer to himself.
When we feel surrounded by deep waters, when anxiety threatens to pull us under or grief seems too heavy to bear, he promises to lift us. His strength becomes the solid ground beneath our feet and his presence, as we reminded ourselves last week, is the anchor that holds fast when everything else shifts. God does not always still the storm immediately, but he always holds us securely through it.
King Canute knew that no earthly power could command the sea. It moves at the voice of its creator alone. Yet that same power, the power that sets the boundaries of the oceans and calls the stars by name, who sets all things in motion, is the very power that watches over us.
The one who rules the waves also tends the smallest details of our lives.
So, the next time you find yourself standing at life’s shoreline, watching the waves rush in, let the sight remind you of something greater. The sea may be vast, but God’s care is deeper still. The waves may roar, but his love is steady. We are not in control, but we are never out of his hands. Even in the storm he is bringing us safely home to shore.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
God Over the Waves
“The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea the Lord on high is mighty.” Psalm 93:3–4
Heavenly Father, sometimes, probably more than I desire, I feel like those pounding waves, restless, loud and unsettled. My heart lifts up its voice in fear, worry and doubt, forgetting that you are mightier still. You are enthroned above all the chaos and there are no storms that ever surprise you. Help me to rest today in your calm authority. Let your peace rule where anxiety rises and causes me to be fearful. Teach me to slow down enough to hear your still, small voice above the roar of the sea. Thank you that your power is not harsh but steady, protective and kind. As the waves come and go may I learn to stand firm, knowing that my life is held in the hands of the one who commands the oceans. Amen.
TUESDAY
Passing Through the Waters
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2
Heavenly Father, help me to understand that you never promise to keep me from the deep waters but rather you promise to go with me through them. Sometimes the current feels strong, the ground uncertain and fear whispers in my ear that I will be overcome and swept away. Thank you for speaking peace into my heart and reminding me that I am never alone. You know my name, you have redeemed me and called me your own – it’s just incredible to ponder these truths. When I cannot see the shore, remind me that your presence is my anchor. Help me to trust your unseen hand guiding me safely through each trial. Thank you that your promises do not fail and that no wave can drown the love you have placed over my life. Keep me close to you today, constantly aware of your presence, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
When the Storm Rages
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” Mark 4:39–41
Dear Jesus, how many times have I panicked in the boat while you were with me? The storm seems fierce, the waves high, and I forget that you are always with me and always in command. Forgive me for allowing fear to speak louder than faith. Teach me to trust that even when you seem silent, you are not absent. Speak those same words over my anxious thoughts today, “Peace, be still.” Let your calm flow through my heart like a quiet tide after a storm. Thank you that you not only calm the seas around me but the fears within me. Strengthen my faith today and help me to remember that you are greater than the winds that blow against me. Amen.
THURSDAY
The Rock Beneath the Waves
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24–25
Jesus, I want to build my life on something solid and secure that lasts. I know that storms will come, sometimes softly, sometimes violently, and everything built on sand will begin to crumble. But your word is the solid ground I want to depend and stand upon. Help me to be not just a listener but a doer; to anchor my choices, hopes and identity in you. When the rains fall and the waves crash, keep me standing firm on your truth. Remind me that obedience is not a burden but rather the foundation that holds me fast. Amen.
FRIDAY
Overwhelmed but Not Overcome
“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.” Psalm 61:1–2, 4
Heavenly Father, sometimes I feel faint and worn down by life’s relentless waves. My own strength feels inadequate for what I am dealing with and I struggle at times to know which way to turn. Help me to remember that you always invite me to call to you, to cry out honestly and to fix my eyes on you and not on my circumstances. You are the rock that stands above the storm, unshaken and eternal. Lead me to that place of safety which is in your presence, in the secret place, that quiet shelter in the shadow of your wings. Teach me to rest instead of always being busy. Thank you that I can find refuge not in escape but in nearness to you. Hold me steady today, Father, until my heart finds its strength again in you. Strengthen me in my inner being, I pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SATURDAY
The Lord Who Sets Boundaries
“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb … when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?” Job 38:8–11
Heavenly Father, you set limits for the mighty sea. How much more can I trust you with the limits of my life? When the waves feel endless, remind me that you have said, “This far, and no farther.” You see the beginning and the end of every trial, you see me, you know me and you understand what is happening in my life. Help me to rest in that truth … you see me and know me. Thank you that my story is not out of control but is under the care of a sovereign and loving God who is for me and not against me. I love you, Father. Amen.
SUNDAY
A Calm Beyond the Shore
“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea … He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1–4
Heavenly Father, what a hope you set before me, a day when all chaos ceases, when the restless sea is no more. No tears, no sorrow, no pain, only your perfect peace when I will sing with my heart restored. Until that day, help me live as one who belongs to that coming kingdom. When I face storms, remind me that they will not last forever. Give me endurance to press on with my eyes fixed on eternity. Thank you that even now you are making all things new. Calm my heart today with the promise that the waves will one day be stilled forever and I will rest safely with you, forever, in the home prepared for me. Amen.