Riptide Faith

When ministering in North Carolina a few years ago, we were able to lease a condo on the second row on Topsail Island, and the town was called Surf City. It was awesome to be just across the street, and there was the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes I wish I were still there, because it was like living a dream. I was used to swimming in the Gulf of America from past trips there, but the Gulf is like a lake in comparison to the waves off the outer banks.

I love to body surf, and the waves that crashed into our beach were so big, you could go out about 100 yards and body surf all the way into the bank (and get pummelled on the sand). On one particular setup for an awesome ride, I noticed I could not adjust where I was because the current wouldn't let me. I was in a riptide!! I got a little frustrated, and then I got a lot tired, and it was time to do something different, or I was not going to make it. I remembered learning that if you just give in to riptide, it will spit you out further down the beach, and once out, swim to the shore. So I quit fighting the riptide, and sure enough, when I let go, I was able to swim to shore and to safety.

Our faith in Jesus is a lot like the riptide. We fight God, trying to make it on our own, and we get frustrated and tired to the point of giving up. This is where I heard another point of advice, and that advice went like this: "Let go and let Jesus." It seemed a little scary to trust that advice so much, but then I remembered it wasn't advice at all. It was Jesus speaking in scripture, and that is found in Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

Do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. The "letting go" process of this faith is the "riptide" part of the faith, where you trust Jesus and He comes through.

This "riptide" part of the initial faith for salvation doesn't quit there. We first trust Jesus totally with our life and our eternity, and then we learn to trust Him again and again. What happens when we begin to trust Him in that way is we begin building a deeper faith, and we can even tell others about "letting go" and letting Jesus, and we do that because we know firsthand what happens. Not just advice, the ultimate wisdom of the ages, coming out of our mouths. Go figure?? What does the riptide show us? We cannot make it on our own because we are helpless, and only putting ourselves in the care of Jesus will take us through the rough portions of life.

Paul wrote the following words to the church in Rome in Romans 5: 1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

In my helpless state, I need Jesus and Him alone to save me again and again because the storms of life bring in unexpected tides and only a riptide will keep me afloat.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren