The Seaside

"The same day went Jesus out of the house and sat by the sea side...."

You may think it's funny but the above verse is one of my favorites in scripture. Throughout my Christian life, as I would come across this verse, I had to pause afterwards. A holy hush would come upon me. I could picture Jesus gazing out at the waves and I would have a longing to be there with Him, stay there and never leave.

Following the last time I read that verse, I went on my prayer walk and was wondering what made me so reflective about it. Then it all came to me!

You see, before I was converted, there were many times that *I* sat by the seaside and gazed out at the immense waters. Even as a small girl, I loved the ocean and couldn't wait to run out to the sand dunes and be alone there. Oh the emotions that would well up inside me! Oh the longing that I felt for... something.

But I didn't even know what it was.

When I became a young woman, I fancied that it was some sort of romantic feeling and that I was longing for someone to love.

Do you know what? I *was* longing for someone to love.

I was longing for HIM!

I was longing for a God that I hadn’t met yet.

An empty spot within my heart, that only HE could fill was longing to be filled by HIM.

I felt HIM there at the beach too. Was I born again yet? No.

Was HE in me yet? No.

But HE was there!

I didn't know He was there at that time.
I didn’t know what it was that I was feeling.
I didn't know it was my future Lord and King.
But I felt HIS presence and was hushed and moved by it.
HE was there with me!
Now I know the full reason for the intrigue surrounding that beloved verse.

It is because we sat by the seaside- together! Thank you Lord!

So, what is my reason for telling you this misty and romantic tale? It is because I want each and every one of you to experience God's love in such a real way that it is irresistible!

I want you to know that HE is a living, loving, and speaking God. If you're already experiencing that love, please tell others!

I had to wait and wait for someone to tell me. And if you would have looked at me with the natural eye, you would not have thought that I was a likely candidate for accepting the Good News.

Oh how I needed HIM! Oh how we all need HIM- and that desperately.

Let HIS love fill you today, for God is love.