Right here beside me

by: Carole L. Haines

Have you ever stood on the shoreline and marveled at the ocean? Its vastness, its majestic waves, its cooling sand. The voice of the Lord can thunder in our hearts at times, other times it is as gentle as a whisper. Staring out over its tumbling waves, I imagine the Israelites standing there on the shore and wondering how God was going to save them from their pursuing enemy. This Precious God of theirs had demonstrated His power to them repeatedly with His plagues over Egypt, their captors.

            “The Lord is a Warrior; Yahweh is His name! Pharoah’s chariots and army He has hurled into the sea…Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy…¹⁰ But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.¹¹ Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory,
 working wonders?” (Exodus 15:4,6,10-11NIV)

Right now, I feel that I am standing on the shoreline of some pretty big waves. Bombarded with doubts and fears about how these waters will part for me. Am I brave enough to lift my hands and watch God part the waters, as He did for Moses? Will He leave me on this shoreline? Am I strong enough to walk through with huge walls of water on either side of me? With God as my companion, my mighty warrior and my King, my victory is assured. I must step forward and raise my hands in belief of His loving guidance as I step out into these waters.
As I came home today from a wonderful time with a friend. I began to feel afraid again, but God brought a Word and His Melody to my heart, and I began to just sing the words to comfort myself. No one else may ever hear this song, but He may choose to finish writing it through me as He has before.

“I’m not alone, I’m not afraid. My God is right here beside me all the way

I’m not alone, I’m not afraid. My God is right here beside me all the day.”

 So, if you are facing your own experience of standing on the shoreline, wondering how you will make it across; repeat these words with me and raise your hands as you step out into your own waters. Trusting His guidance, His love and His care, we can step out into those waves in our lives with the assurance that He is right here with us.  Alone times are reminding us that God will lead us through our struggles. Sometimes being alone is just an invitation and demonstration of how much He is really with us.