There are times in my life when I have sat by the water’s edge and felt the peace of God surrounding me. There have been times in my life when I have sat near the water’s edge and wondered where time would take me, where I would be in the days ahead or what God had in store for me. There have been times, sadly when I have lived in the fast lane and not taken the time to sit by the water’s edge and let the spirit of the Lord speak to me.
In looking back, I often thought that while I was sitting by the water’s edge and pondering the deeper things of life, yearning for the spirit to speak to me, a hunger from deep within my soul, I thought I was sitting by myself. But in looking back I realized that no, I was never by myself, not really. There has always been a chair sitting right next to mine and the second chair was rarely empty.
Sometimes there were people, special people, people I loved dearly and who loved me dearly and they sat with me, allowing me space to sit and ponder, to sit and listen to the wind in the leaves of the nearby trees or the roll of the waves or the ducks in the distance or the sound of the paddle of someone’s canoe, far out on the water as it glided through the waves. These were and always will be special people of my life sitting with me by the water’s edge. Some of them are gone, no longer in this world but still very present in my heart. Some of them are still here with me, still sharing the journey, still sitting beside me, and patiently waiting as we listen to each other’s heartbeats and sense the yearnings in each other’s souls.
Sometimes, the person sitting in the chair beside me is the Lord. Oh, I can’t see Him, but I know he’s there with me, I know he’s sitting with me and his closeness to me brings peace and joy to my heart. Sometimes I don’t know he’s there in the moment but later, I look back and yes, Lord, I know you were with me.
Who sits with you by the water’s edge? With whom do you sit by the water’s edge? Do you ever sense the Lord is with you in the empty chair right beside you? You’re never alone unless you choose to be. Alone is not always bad, but it’s always nice to know someone is always sitting beside you by the water’s edge. Thank God, someone sits with us by the water’s edge.