My family had the wonderful opportunity to go to the coast for Thanksgiving. The ocean is so restless!
From the moment we arrived waves were ceaselessly crashing on the shore … restless … restless … restless.
The tide came in … waves crashed on the shore, stretching as far up onto the beach as they could possibly reach! … restless … restless … restless.
The tide went out … the beach had a brief reprieve … rocky outcroppings were no longer submerged or pounded by waves. Yet just beyond … waves crashing … restless … restless … restless.
The forest where hubby and I live is usually very calm and peaceful. The relentlessly restless ocean was such a stark contrast! Why would God make the ocean so restless?
The answer came to mind from a piece I had recently read in a devotional book entitled “Inspired Evidence” by Julie Von Vett & Bruce Malone.
“The moon creates the tides that are essential for healthy oceans. As the water rises and falls in daily rhythms, the shorelines are continually scrubbed. Tides stir the oceans, preventing the water from becoming stagnant and unhealthy. If there were no stirring of the oceans, they would become stagnant, filled with death and decay.
“According to Jonathan Weiner in the book Planet Earth, without this taking place: ‘noxious fumes would slowly gather near the floor and kill all the bottom dwelling creatures. Slowly, the Earth’s own body heat would warm this foul black water until it was hotter than the water on the surface. The unstable ocean would eventually turn over and vent the whole mess to the surface, with catastrophic effects on fauna and flora, poisoning the atmosphere.’
“Furthermore, our oceans contain vast amounts of floating plankton, kelp forests and grasses. In fact, there is more plant life by weight in the oceans than on the land. Plants take in our waste product of carbon dioxide, while releasing oxygen for us to breathe. If there were no tides, then the ocean waters would move very little, plant life would decrease – thereby making less oxygen – and our atmosphere would rapidly deteriorate. We then would not have enough oxygen for life.”
Thank you God for the restless ocean!
Thank you God for stirring the waters of our planet so that healthy life can be sustained and maintained for each of us!
