The Sand that Binds the Sea

“Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”—Jeremiah 5:22

This tremendous verse speaks to me of man’s ceaseless and futile struggle with God. We, strangely enough, are like that ocean with its waves tossing and roaring - never able to prevail. Such drama and visual displays of angst and turmoil in reaction to the circumstances of our lives. And then, there is this sand, this “weak instrumentality” that represents God. This humble, yet fixed point, that maintains our existence. No matter how violent we become, how visibly we react, God is this sand that keeps us always where we need to be. Granted, God is the Creator of this part of nature and is far superior than the sand, but in concept, we cause all the ruckus, while God contains our sea. 

 

Lake Sullivan near Ione, Washington. (Fall 2007)