Morning and Evening By the Sea

One of the best things about the beach is being able to wake up to the sun rising on the horizon of the ocean, and to say goodnight under the stars with the waves pounding in the background.    

Seems like after every trip to the beach, I try to keep a smooth shell in my pocket to connect me to that place where I feel so near to God.  This time I have a small one and a large one. The small one has some imprints that look like little flowers.  It is intricate and lovely.  The large one makes me think of the effects of water over time on hard, rough things, much like how God slowly smooths our souls to make us something beautiful.

All week long, I kept thinking about these verses from Psalms and Lamentations.  And now that we are home, they are still on my mind.

Psalm 139

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me,^[b] O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

Psalm 19

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.

Lamentations 3

²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends!^[b]
    His mercies never cease.
²³ Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!”