October 2, 2026
Genesis tells the magnificent story of creation. “God called the dry ground ‘land’ and the gathered waters He called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good,” (1:10). And it WAS. Looking at the ocean this week, “good” is a small word that describes an indescribably wonderful thing. It all takes my breath.
The sun has just come up again, as it did yesterday and a million times before, showing off glorious colors. It speaks to me of the faithfulness of God. (One of my mother’s favorite hymns was “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”) In Ecclesiastes 1:5, Solomon wrote: “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.” That’s faithfulness, that’s dependability. The sun is my favorite part of being at the beach.
But then there’s the ocean. This morning as I watch the waves crashing on the shore, I am reminded of the greatness of God. The sound of the waves is almost hypnotic; a song I cannot put words to. Psalm 93:3 puts it this way: “The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice, the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.” Can you hear it in your mind? The Psalmist wrote, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth…shout for joy before the LORD, the king. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it,” (Psalm 98:4-7). I love the roar of the ocean.
On the fifth day of creation, “God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures…So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it,” Genesis 1:20-21. God saw that it was good. Again, a small word to describe indescribable wonder. The things going on underwater are mind-boggling.
At awesomeocean.com, I found that the blue whale is the largest sea creature, comparable to the size of a Boeing 373 airplane. A giant oarfish is essentially a sea serpent that can grow up to 56 feet long. The giant Pacific octopus can stretch out to a radius of 32 feet and lives longer than any other octopus. I was both intrigued and horrified at this information. I think I will, henceforth, only dip my toes in the water.
According to oceanconservancy.org, the smallest ocean animals are zooplankton and Irukandji jellyfish. The Irukandji jellyfish is also quite venomous. (Still dipping only my toes in the water.) The seahorse is one of God’s creations that baffles me. I was almost late for work one day last week because I was watching a video of a seahorse giving birth to a thousand seahorse babies. Holy Moly!
God displays His majesty in great and small ways for all to see - from the roaring waves to the zooplankton. “How many are your works, LORD!” Psalm 104:24. Does He amaze you, too?
The warmth of the sun, the feel of the breeze, the pounding of the waves…I love being a girl from the mountains, but a visit to the beach is a refreshing retreat. Vitamin Sea, please.
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Dawn Reed is a pastor's wife and newspaper columnist. Reach her at preacherswife7@yahoo.com.
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