On my honeymoon with Heather to Alaska we had the privilege to witness a pretty cool phenomenon of nature, the Bore Tide in Turnagain Arm. This is a wave of about five to ten feet in height that surges down this narrow and shallow bay. As high tide rolls in from the ocean, the water is forced as through a funnel into a narrow space, producing a rapidly progressing wall of water. Anything in the path of that ten to twenty mile-per-hour wall is either submerged or carried along. Many an unsuspecting animal or person has died in the face of this tremendous force. However, surfers often love to ride this wave for miles.
The onslaught of social forces against God’s design for marriage and family life is a lot like the Bore Tide. You can’t stop it. Satan and those who follow him are relentless. The pressure WILL continue and it will either drown or carry those in its path.
Next week, Americans are going to the polls to vote on people and policies. Voters will be forced to choose between who and what is in line with God’s will and who and what is not, especially on issues of marriage and family. Even if good Christian people are able to join with enough like-minded voters to stop the forces against God’s plan for now, we won’t be able to stop the tide. Satan’s onslaught will persist because he knows that godly marriage and family life is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus is clearly seen in families that practice marriage in God’s way. And Satan hates it.
So, what do we do in the face of the tide?
We can let it drown us like an unsuspecting deer in the face of the Bore Tide. This WILL happen if we give up and say there’s no point in trying to resist this evil force. We’ll just let the evil society overwhelm us, have its way and drown us with its destructive lies. Then, we’ll join the tide speeding toward hell.
OR, we can ride the tide like a surfer on the Bore Tide. We can do this by using the cross of Jesus as our surfboard. His victory over sin and evil on the cross gives us the ability to rise above the evil around us. His truth enables us to resist Satan’s lies. His Spirit’s power enables us to match Satan’s attacks mile after mile. His love empowers us to ride above the evil forces below us. His joy makes us witnesses of a better way for those who are currently drowning in the tide.
No matter how the elections come out next week, the evil tide will continue to roll. But, I’m not going to give up and drown. I’m riding the tide with Jesus! I’m going to live out marriage in His way and have a joy that rises above all evil. I’m going to be a witness of a joyful way of life that’s free for all who humble themselves and join Jesus at the cross where He’s taken our sins away.
Join me!
Don’t just stand and watch the tide go by as I did on my honeymoon. Don’t miss this opportunity to surf the tide as a witness of hope for all those being swept away.
Let’s ride the tide together. Let’s follow Jesus’ awesome way for marriage and family life that rises above Satan’s lies. Let’s give a vision of surpassing joy to those drowning in the evil tide. Let’s surf on with ecstatic delight until the end of the run when Jesus returns or takes us to Himself. As we go, more and more will see our life in God’s way. The Spirit WILL lead many more to join us in riding the tide…with Jesus carrying us!