The Sea's Many Voices: God Speaking Through Creation

The sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea.—Psalm 8:8

God uttereth His voice through the wildly wailing winds and loudly surging waves, speaking warning and lamentation to cities filled with corruption and vice. Yet the ocean addresses us in manifold languages, calling upon us through both eye and ear.

First, the sea speaks through its terrible strength. Blocks of stone weighing thirteen tons have been hurled thirty feet by its fury; three-ton blocks cast beyond one hundred yards. Jetties and bridges are dashed like toys. The harbour of Fécamp was utterly destroyed by its rage. In such moments, we tremble and bow before Elohim, acknowledging the majestic grandeur of the ocean in its excited and terrific moods.

Second, the sea speaks through beauty and provision. We adore and love Yahweh for the splendour with which He clothes the waters and for the blessings He conveys through them—fish, commerce, passage, and the electric wires now spanning its depths, connecting distant lands.

Third, the sea appeals to Christian sympathy for seamen and those upon the deep. When waves speak with voices of wailing and lamentation, we must pray with all the power of faith that God would save them from a watery grave, comfort those who mourn, and grant that when the sea yields up her dead, all may enter the haven of eternal rest. So too should we pray that the abundance of the sea be converted unto God, and the isles wait for His law.