The Rhythm of the Tide

I just spent a beautiful, sun-drenched week at the beach, doing what I think many of us do when we get a rare moment to sit by the ocean: I stared at the water.

But this week, I kept my eyes glued to the tide charts, constantly tracking the high and low tides. My mission? To figure out the absolute optimal time to go out walking so my family and I could find the best seashell treasures washed up on the sand.

As I watched the water pull back and push forward day after day, I found myself completely baffled by a simple reality of the sea. Parts of the ocean that seemed terrifyingly deep, roaring, and completely unmanageable at high tide were suddenly, a few hours later, perfectly still, shallow, and manageable at low tide. The very ground that had been swallowed by feet of crashing water was now just a wet, peaceful path where my kids could walk.

As I stood there with salt in my hair and shells in my hands, the Holy Spirit gently began to connect the rhythm of those waves to the rhythm of our walk with Jesus.

The Sovereignty of the Ebb and Flow

In our modern, fast-paced world (especially in our seasons of motherhood and building a life) we are conditioned to want consistency. We want our emotional capacity, our spiritual passion, and our daily schedules to remain at a steady, manageable baseline.

But the Kingdom of God is rarely linear. It has a rhythm. It has an ebb and a flow.

Scripture reminds us that God is the author of this rhythm. In the book of Job, God reminds us of His staggering sovereignty, saying that He is the One who:

"...prescribed limits for the sea and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” — Job 38:10-11

If God ordains the tides of the literal ocean, why do we think He doesn't ordain the spiritual tides of our lives? Our faith and our circumstances will have high tides and low tides. There are seasons where the water rushes in, deep and overwhelming, and seasons where the water recedes, exposing the quiet sand beneath. Both are holy. Both are necessary.

High Tide: When the Waters Feel Too Deep

We all know what a spiritual "high tide" feels like. Sometimes it’s a beautiful rush of God's presence. But more often, it’s a season where the demands, the grief, or the responsibilities of life feel incredibly deep. So deep that we feel like we are drowning.

Maybe you are in a high tide right now. The waters of anxiety, busy schedules, or heavy family burdens are crashing over your head. You look out at your life and think, I cannot manage this. The water is too deep. The current is too strong.

In those moments, the theology of the tide offers us immense comfort. High tide is not permanent. The water will recede. God promised us in Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you."

The depth that terrifies you right now is completely under His command. He knows exactly when the high tide has served its purpose in your sanctification, and He is the one who will order the retreat.

Low Tide: Managing the Shallows and Gathering Treasures

The most beautiful realization I had this week was how different the landscape looks when we are patient enough to wait for the low tide.

When the water pulls back, the things that looked impossibly daunting a few hours ago become completely manageable. You realize that the storm didn't destroy the ground beneath you; it just covered it for a moment.

But even better? Low tide is where the treasures are hidden.

The most intricate, unbroken, beautiful seashells aren't found when the waves are violently crashing at high tide. They are uncovered in the quiet, exposed, low-tide moments.

In our walk with Jesus, the greatest spiritual treasures are almost always gathered after a heavy season recedes. It’s in the quiet aftermath, when we are walking through the shallow, manageable spaces of a new season, that we can look down and see what the crashing waters left behind.

We find the treasure of knowing God as a Deliverer because we survived the deep water. We find the treasure of His faithfulness because we had to wait for the tide to turn.

Trusting the Rhythm

Wherever you are in your faith journey today, take heart in the divine design of the ocean.

If you are in a season where life feels too deep, stop trying to fight the high tide in your own strength. Float in His grace and trust that the waters will recede. And if you are currently in a low tide (a season of relative calm, recovery, or waiting) don't waste the quiet. Walk the sand with open eyes. Look for the treasures of wisdom and growth that the hard seasons washed ashore.

The stages of our lives and our faith will always shift, but the One who commands the boundaries of the sea remains completely unchanged. Trust His rhythm. The tide always turns.