The joys of being in San Diego for summer school are far and between. One thing that I do love is trying to catch waves at La Jolla Shores with or without a boogie board. Beaches down south are great. The sand is fine, the water is warm and the waves are great during high tide. As I was bobbing in the waves the other day, I thought about how catching a wave is like catching revival. I wrote about how I “don’t wanna miss it” on facebook earlier in summer. This is a continuation of that similar train of thought.
When I go to ride a wave, it involves several things. A large part of it is just watching and waiting for signs of a big wave. Sometimes seeing people around me reacting to seeing a wave will alert me that it’s incoming. Once a large one is spotted, I position myself to face the same direction as the wave and I kick/paddle to gain some momentum so that when the wave breaks behind me, it’ll carry me speedily towards the shore. It’s awesome and addicting. Once I ride that first wave, I can’t help but get excited to catch the next one, no matter how long the wait may take.
Revival works in a similar manner. You must be on the lookout for evidences of God’s movement. Jesus says in Luke 12:56, “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time?” Sometimes the sign may even be from people around you. Then in response, you have to position yourself to what God is doing and build momentum. This means prayer and stepping out. When that wave breaks, it’s not going to require a lot of work, you’re just going to get caught up in God simply showing up. It’ll carry you to your destination without any effort.
I cannot stress the how it is imperative NOT to miss it. While chilling on the waves, if I become complacent and don’t get ready for it or I don’t build enough momentum, the wave will simply pass through me as other people catch it. In the grand scheme of things, missing a wave isn’t that bad. But it sucks if that was the one good wave of the day. In regards to revival, it is vital that we do not miss it because we didn’t see it coming or we didn’t put in the prayer and action. That wave may be the one in our lifetime. God always has a plan for us, but He never forces us to be a part of it.
