It’s a daily task for me to surrender to the ever changing, ever flowing plan of God. He knows the deepest cry of my heart. He knows when the wave is building, pushing from the outer reaches of the ocean, chugging toward the shore. He knows when it’s reaching higher and higher, preparing to crest. He knows when it reaches the peak and begins to push over the top and race toward the Earth again to crash into the shore.

God understands the surge – the powerful times when life seems to build and all is exciting and good and exhilarating and scary at the same time. Times like the past few weeks when I can see marked maturity in my leadership abilities – to ask for and accept help, when God trusts me with specific conversations with individuals, when life’s puzzle pieces begin to fit.

And God understands the crest, the pivotal moment when everything changes to a fast, powerful downward rush – when life seems out of control and you fight to just stay above the water. Times like today when all the recent change and news and busyness suddenly seemed to bring to the front of my vision where I’m at in life and what I feel like I’m missing.

I remind myself that God is in control during both of these situations. He is the power behind the surging water; He is the buoy that keeps us afloat. When life’s circumstances turn from a great build to a great crash, He is there.

”Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord‘s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” — Lamentations 3:21-24 (NIV)

I’m on a growth curve in my faith. When life’s difficulties surface, it’s easy and it’s habit to pull away and secretly wish that life was different. To wish that I could snap my fingers and find that the situation has changed. To ignore it. To jump to a quick solution that doesn’t have best interests in mind. But that, I’m learning, is when it’s best for me to wait patiently on God and listen to His voice.

When the water is beginning to crash down, I must take a deep breath, relax into the current, and trust in the power of the One behind the wave.