Of Tides and Kings

Tides here in New Zealand are severe. The day I was tramping (hiking) in Abel Tasman National Park, the difference between low and high tide was 4.8 meters (almost 16 feet). You could see boats stranded at low tide in all the bays. We were able to cross a tidal flat at low tide and shorten a 1.5 hour walk to 10 minutes or so. Right now I’m reading I Kings and the up and down nature of Israel reminds me of the tides. Things go well, they forget God, and then things go bad. In their despair they cry out to God, and He delivers them and things go well… then it starts all over again.

I’ve been thinking about this because things are starting to go well for me now on my sabbatical. My shoulder is healing nicely, I think I’m coming out of my burnout, I’m rekindling my fire for work and research, and I notice I’m beginning to forget God… well not forget Him, but not have the same intimacy as during the low tides.

I’m thinking now that instead of floating up and down with the tides, I need to moor myself to the Rock of Ages.