In the words of Charles Spurgeon, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." Rejoice in the trials because you can know that they are drawing you closer to your Creator. Kiss the waves.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
Read John 16:33 on the YouVersion Bible App.
“To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock” — Psalms 28:1
Read Psalms 28:1 on the YouVersion Bible App.
“He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.” — 2 Samuel 22:2-3
Read 2 Samuel 22:2-3 on the YouVersion Bible App.
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” — 1 Corinthians 1:30
Read 1 Corinthians 1:30 on the YouVersion Bible App.
Read Kissing the Wave by Gloria Furman in Desiring God.
If you ever need anything, I am here for you. Reach out to me.
God is good, always. Never forget that. — Much love, Ty.
If you were to walk into my apartment in College Station, you would see that I absolutely love to write reminders to myself. And no, I am not meaning reminders as in… go buy taco shells or study for your upcoming calculus exam. When I say reminders, I am referring to battle cry reminders. I am referring to Scripture, I am referring to physically writing and displaying God’s promises, I am referring to literally anything to draws me back to God and reminds me who He is. There are times when I am in war, and seeing these reminders never let me forget who my Heavenly Father is.
And no, I am not being sarcastic either. I have white boards, magnetic letter boards, and way too many Expo markers. And no, that is not a complete list of everything I use either. I promise you, if I can use an Expo marker on it, I will… the glass of my fish tank, the mirror in my bathroom, literally everything.
And there’s more. Sticky Notes. I have Sticky Notes everywhere… all over the cork board built into my tech desk, all over my ice box… like seriously there are battle cry reminders everywhere.
You might be asking, Ty where are you going with this? Well I am so glad you asked! I am starting a new category of episodes titled Battle Cries. And also, congratulations, you are listening to the very first Battle Cry of All For Him! For the first episode, we are going to be discussing a quote that has stuck with me this past semester.
Charles Spurgeon, a preacher during the 1800s, stated the following:
I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages. — Charles Spurgeon
I don’t know about you, but speaking for myself, I experience trials. And if I am a betting person, I think you are going to agree with me. In John 16:33, we are promised trouble in this world but we are told to take heart because our Heavenly Father has overcome this world. Charles Spurgeon describes these trials as waves, and states that he has learned to kiss these waves that throw him against the Rock of Ages.
All throughout the Bible, God is referred to as a Rock. For just two of just the dozens of examples, Psalms 28:1 states:
“To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock” — Psalms 28:1
And for another example in 2 Samuel 22:2-3, we read:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.” — 2 Samuel 22:2-3
When I initially started deep diving what he said, I came across an article written by Gloria Furman in Desiring God titled Kissing the Wave. It was really helpful to grab another perspective on Spurgeon’s words, and I will link to it in the show notes if you would like to check it out.
In the article, she stated that she “[didn’t] think [that] Spurgeon’s comment came from a sarcastic “Pucker up, Waves!” perspective” and neither did I but I will admit that phrasing did stick with me that when it was a tight fit writing that whole quote around my apartment, I might have settled by writing “Pucker up, Waves!”
She also stated the following in her article, and it is all too good for me to skip over. Just a head’s up, it is a long quote too so I will state when I am finished relaying her words. She said:
[OPEN QUOTE] We can “learn to kiss the wave” because Christ is near to us and supreme over all things. He died and rose again to vanquish evil forever. Christ is to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). You can’t get much nearer than that.
When there’s nothing in heaven or on earth or under the earth that can separate you from Christ’s love, waves of trials can only throw you onto the Rock of Ages. Resting on that Rock is where I’d like to be and stay forever, and may the Lord bless the means he uses to remind me of that. [CLOSE QUOTE]
In this world, we will experience trials. Maybe you are in the middle of one right now, or maybe you will find yourself there soon and to both cases, come back to this battle cry. Write it down, let it be a reminder to you.
I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages. — Charles Spurgeon
Rejoice in the trials, because you can know that they are drawing you closer to your Creator, to the Rock of Ages. To the One who will never leave you, to the One who will never forsake you. Fully trust Him, grow closer to Him, and kiss the waves. I hope you have a great day!