A Buoy That Holds
October 31, 2021 — Laura House
This past week, Gary and I had the pleasure of spending a few days at the beach, one of our favorite places on earth. Full of sweet family memories, we reminisced about the hours of beach-time with our kids from their childhoods to adult years; floating on the inflatable boat, wave-surfing, building sandcastles, and lounging in the sun.
Our hotel was at the very south end of Virginia Beach, only three doors down from where we stayed with Nathan more than six years ago on his 25th birthday, unaware that we would only physically see him one more time before he went to Heaven. He had invited our family to accompany him to Virginia Beach to see him off on his coast-to-coast road trip. After dinner at a Mexican restaurant across the street from our hotel, we played Settlers of Catan and had a birthday party for him, including an amazing chocolate cake made by Megan. Because of a hurricane headed toward the coast, it was cold, windy, and rainy. But even in the midst of the approaching storm, the sound of the ocean was a welcome and comforting sound to us all. We ventured out just once for a short, windy, chilly walk. Early the following morning, we hugged Nathan and watched him head west in his new, black, Nissan Rogue he had just purchased. Remembering his devastating struggles of the previous month, we fought the anxiety that settled over us and prayed that the Lord would protect and comfort him as he traveled.
Now, years later at the same location, I sat observing fishing boats coming back from a long day at sea. As they neared the shore, the captains carefully navigated their crafts between two buoys that led them into the Rudee Inlet Marina, where they would unload and dock. This scene repeated itself every evening and I became fascinated by the buoys that never moved, regardless of the weather. It made sense that they would stay in place during the calm weather, but when a mighty storm blew in this week and the waves were so high that even the surfers left, I wondered how those buoys could possibly stay secure. Naturally, I consulted Google :) and learned about the amazing process used to anchor them so well that even in the strongest gale, they hold in place, guiding ships safely to shore.
The spiritual parallel didn’t escape my thinking, and I can attest that this has been my personal life experience. In this first picture, we enjoyed a perfect, sunny day, and the buoys easily stayed in place to guide the boats to dock. As I think about my life to this point, there have been so many sunny days. If you know Jesus, then you’ve had many of them too. Although earthly life is flawed because of sin, as believers, we have such joyous times with our family, in God’s creation, and through experiences with the Lord. It’s easy to trust Him in the sunshine.
The second picture was taken of the same location … the same buoys, but in the midst of a storm. Have you experienced earth-shattering, beyond belief storms yet in your life? If not, you will. The longer you live, the more you will experience these times of hardship, heartache, illness, pain, death, and overwhelming grief. The storms of earthly life unleash with great fury.
Yet during these times, I will testify that the buoy has still held strong. He is there to guide us safely to shore and to a dock where we will experience the “peace that passes understanding.” Only the Lord can give us a peace that is beyond our ability to fathom how it could even be possible. When you are in the midst of a tempest, you can trust your Creator, the One who loves you the most and will carry you through.
Nothing is more powerful and comforting than the Word of God. The Bible is full of hope, precious promises, and the instruction we need to successfully complete our race here on earth. While there are too many important verses to list in one blog post, I hope you’ll hide these in your heart and draw them out when you face the storms that will inevitably come your way.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalm 89: 8-9 “Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 57:1 “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”
2 Timothy 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him…”
Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
I John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
