"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:9-10) "And I saw another angel fly to the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:6-7) "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord; for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth; He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth." (Psalm 96:11-13) "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." (Psalm 33:6-8) "Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain; Who lays the beams of His chambers in the waters; who makesthe clouds His chariot; who walks upon the wings of the wind." (Psalm 104:1-3) "Do you not fear me? says the Lord; will you not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it." (Jeremiah 5:22) "Who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued from the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick z a swaddling band for it, And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shall you come and no further; and here shall your proud waves be stayed?" (Job 38:8-11) "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?" (Isaiah 40:12) "If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the seas, Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:9-10) "By terrible things will You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation; You are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are far off upon the sea; ... Which by His strength sets fast the mountains, being girded about with light; which stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, and the tumult of the people." (Psalm 65:5,7) "Are You not it which has dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that has made the depths of the sea, a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." (Isaiah 51:10-11) "The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Psalm 95:5-6)
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." (Romans 1:16)
The everlasting power of God is seen in the things that are made. "For the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity." (Romans 1:20,RV) "The sea is His, and He made it." (Psalm 95:5)
Therefore the voice of the sea, whether audible or inaudible, proclaims the Gospel. "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?" (Isaiah 40:12)
The vast expanse of the sea, which God measures in His hand, shows us the greatness of His power, which is mercy, because it is salvation. So it is not more, but less than a full statement of the truth, that:
There's a wideness in God's mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea.
--Frederick William Faber, There's a Wideness in God's Mercy, 1862.
The mighty power of the sea is but the manifestation of the merciful power of God to save us from our sins. If we but listen to His voice, our righteousness will be "like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:18)
What power can pluck us out of the hand of Him who measures all the waters of the sea in the hollow of His hand? "By His strength sets fast the mountains, being girded about with light; which stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, and the tumult of the people." (Psalm 65:7)
God's power over the raging of the nations of the earth, is as great as His power over the sea. He can still them just as easily. "And He said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." (Matthew 8:26)
This is to be the confidence of the people of God in times when "the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing; The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (Psalm 2:1-3)
God's power over the sea is an assurance to us of salvation. Because He rules the sea, "Therefore the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion." (Isaiah 35:10)
When the Lord comes, it will be for the salvation of His people. But that will only be the consummation of the salvation which He accomplishes for them day by day. In view of His coming to judgment, the sea roars out its joy: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. ... for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth." (Psalm 96:11,13)
The sea speaks the mighty power of God. If we but learn to understand its language, then we shall experience the power which it reveals, and shall also rejoice at the thought of the coming of the Lord, because we know the joy of His presence.--Present Truth, September 15, 1898.