The sea is restless

By Elizabeth Prata

But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. (Isaiah 57:20)

[The ungodly are] wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:13)

The sea is an apt metaphor for the restlessness of the ungodly. They toss and turn, go to and fro, casting up muck and mire with ungodly thoughts and deeds. In Jude, he is speaking of infiltrating false teachers, but the metaphor is apt also to apply in general to the ungodly, their foaming spray prevents clear vision and in fact has no substance.

The waves dash themselves against the rocks, attempting to breach the ordained boundaries and come on a flood.

What can hold back this wicked flood of ungodliness? How are we to live, then? What are we to do? We share the Gospel. It might seem like we are taking a teaspoon to the restless sea, dipping in and taking out one small quantity at a time. But that one teaspoon is a soul saved from the ungodly foam, no longer dashing itself upon the rocks or kicking against the goads, but now becoming a still water. We are to do this one by one by one teaspoon at a time.

Once, we heard the Gospel, and our tossing was stilled by the Prince of Peace. Now we turn to do the same.

All around the world other Christians are standing on the beachhead, looking out at the raging sea of restless sinners, knowing what will calm their storm. We scan the restless sea and dip in the teaspoon containing the Gospel of peace, applying this soul-saving medicine to the raging spray. We do this endlessly, daily, perpetually. We do this until Jesus returns and our labors become rest. We do this for the sake of those living in the waters that toss up the mire and the dirt. We do this for the sake of those now dwelling in darkness and about to live in the gloom of outer darkness forever.

For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)