The Wave

A vision had come to me some time back. I was reminded of it again recently. I don’t get visions very often, but try to note the details of them when I do.  I was on the beach, typical sunny day, looking out to sea and all of a sudden a huge wall of water forms and is moving at great speed toward the shore.  At first I have a little start of panic about it.  And then, I’m more interested in how it looks than how devastating it is.  It’s getting closer to shore and I’m not doing anything but looking at it.  It is hundreds of stories high – just a solid looking wall moving toward me.  I’m alone on the beach just staring at this tsunami wave as it’s almost up to the shore. 

Next, I am all of a sudden on top of this wave and it’s frozen. It’s still liquid, but it’s suspended as a liquid wall of water at the shore.  Jesus is standing on top of the wave with me and I am rather awkwardly at his side with my feet straight out behind me his arm round my waist and my hands and arms out straight ahead of me flailing about –almost like I’m swimming suspended in air by his arm around me, only I’m anything but swimming.  I am flopping around quite vigorously.  Jesus is remaining still, almost like a statue, but I can feel him breathing and he’s alive and holding me gently, but firmly.   Finally, as I’m sensing His holding me gently and that I’m not hurt or falling I settle down and begin to stop flailing and at last I come to rest standing right beside Him, His arm still around me, but no longer suspending me up.  I’m just comfortably standing with Him on the top of the wave and I am able to see for miles and miles with Him, standing there.

Next, I’m standing on the beach shore again.  Jesus is there and we are looking out to sea.  The wave is gone, the sea is calm and the day is again sunny.  All of a sudden, Jesus turns to me and as He does half of him is plunged into storm and rain, hair soaked with water and rain drops running down his face and arm on one side , while the other half is sun soaked and a light breeze is blowing His hair off of his face.  He says to me, “Not everything is as it appears”.  Then, he hands me a little seashell.  It is whole, white and still shut with a clam or something inside it.  The outside has very fine ridges on it.  I open it and inside is a single large pearl.  That is the end of the vision.

To me, this vision represents application to both personal things and world things. 

For me personally, there has been a period of time I have worked with someone who is very challenging and initially I was at a loss as to how to function around them with the negativity, yelling, shaming and contempt.  It felt the person was out of control and the situation was very unsafe.  This left me flailing for safety.  Until, I remembered Jesus had a hold of me.  As I felt His presence and recognized He held me and was my defender in the situation I no longer felt the need to flail or protect myself.  I stood up and though still held by Jesus, I was no longer flopping around or unsure as to how to proceed.  It turned out that this was boot camp for me and I learned how to stand beside Jesus in His mighty shadow, protected and cared for – no matter the tsunami – He took me to the top, which is what happened.  I’m still going through my “tsunami” moments, at times.  But now I look to Jesus for peace and rest and protection. He is my strong tower and very great reward.

The world is indeed in the midst of just the sight of the tsunami wave!  It is of gargantuan size and scope.  The world feels the momentum power and sees the destructive potential in the wave’s appearance and they know its coming at them with devastation.   They believe they are prepared, but they are very unprepared.  Only Jesus preserves in the midst of this wave and those who know and see Him in this time will shine to those who don’t know Him in this time.  This wave is a life shifting change that no one is prepared for.  God, in His amazing goodness, is actually pouring out in the midst of this wave such an experience, encounter, personal manifestation of His presence, in a way as never before to His people. People will literally be pinching themselves to see if they are awake or not. Jesus will hold fast His people in the midst and pour out life through them!

The vision of Jesus on the beach in storm and sunshine – this speaks to me of not allowing the appearance of things to distract you from really seeing and experiencing Jesus there. I'll  also add that we generally look at things and see something and take away a perception and what we believe will be the outcome of it.  That perception may not be what is really happening or what will turn out to happen at all.  In fact I've been surprised on many counts to see that there were other things at work that I was completely unaware of and things turned out far different than I could have ever envisioned.

The shell and pearl are the most personal to me.  My name is December because I was born December 7^th – which is Pearl Harbor Day.  My Grandmother wanted my parents to name me Pearl, but, my mother did not like the idea of me being named after something so tragic.  My mother and grandmother are both named Marguerite and the family hoped I may also be named Marguerite, but, many in our family are named Marge, so, my mother did not want any more confusion with the “Marges” in the family.   The irony is that Marguerite is French for Pearl!   Though I’m not named pearl, it is a symbol in my life.  What it represents is something beautiful forming through difficulty.  The world will see those coming through trials in Jesus in their glory and will be drawn to Him. He will be famous as a result!  The deepest beauty and wonder of Jesus is authentically formed only through great trial and difficulty. We walk in the glory of that when we embrace seeing God in the midst.