Psalm 95:5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
So much of our imagery involves the sea and the land. The sea represents vastness. When you stand on the shore and look out, it looks endless, eternal , as if it just goes on forever and never stops. The sea is also the unknown. Any fisherman or sailor’s wife and family can tell you that. It takes a lot of faith to send them out in the boats and watch them become small dots on the horizon, then disappear. The Sea is a metaphor for all of these things – vastness, the unknown, eternity. We talk about a sea of problems. We say someone is being tossed by the waves when things are out of control. We talk about sailing tranquil seas when life is going smoothly, and even named a crater on the moon that.
Land is sturdy, firm, solid and steady under our feet. We land a job. Our planes land safely. We build our hope on solid land. We strive for the American dream of owning our own piece of land. We tell someone who has their hopes set too high to come back down to land. Land is very important to our well being and security. We definitely don’t want it to shake or move!
God created both. He created the vastness of the unknown and the security of standing on something solid and strong. Both contain breathtaking beauty, and danger if we try and claim mastery over them. Whether on land or sea it is wise to remember who created it and who controls it. That is the true security faith provides – we are in His hands at all times, on land or sea.
