Consistency?

I was texting a good friend last night—we were discussing politics, sports, and sending goofy memes to each other (“mee-mee’s” as I heard one person call them). Whether it be sports, politics, inflation, or just life in general, we both came to the same conclusion: all we ask for in life is consistency—consistency in how we apply the law, how we apply logic, how we apply trust—consistency in how we apply our values to each other. In short, we were both expressing desires for a stable environment in which to be left alone and left to thrive. But, that’s a fairy tale, isn’t it?

In the history of mankind being “left alone in a stable environment” has never really existed. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were not alone—YHWH was in the garden. After the fall, there was no longer any sense of a stable environment—Abel was murdered for simply worshipping God with his whole heart. The idea of a “stable environment” or “consistency” in life is simply not a reality in this fallen world. Sure, there are times in which it feels that way—seasons of life, whether that be nationally or locally, where life seems predictable and arranged. But we all know how quickly the rug can be pulled out from under us—an unexpected death, a car wreck, or sudden job loss. But beyond personal issues, on a larger scale we can be shaken by new legislation, elections, or wars (and rumors of wars). The reality is that the only consistency in life, the only stability is found in this fallen world IS inconsistency and instability—the ocean will always have waves. Sometimes the waves are big, sometimes, small; sometimes they are rogue, sometimes they settle to near stillness, and sometimes danger lurks beneath the surface. This uncertainty is one of the reasons that I believe that the ocean—or sea— features so prominently in Scripture.

In the Old Testament, the sea (יָם, yam), is first introduced in Genesis 1:10, “God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas. And God saw that it was good.” Moving forward in Scripture, we see that the sea represents chaos and de-creation—when YHWH judges the earth in Genesis 6, he does so by bringing the world back to its pre-created state—waters covering the face of the earth. As Scripture continues to unfold, the sea becomes more and more prominent as a metaphor for evil, often used in parallel with the term “deep” (תְּהוֹם, tehom) in biblical poetry, standing for primordial chaos, or the abyss. YHWH defeats cosmic enemies in the form of sea serpents or sea dragons (“Leviathan,” or “Rahab” in Job 41:4). Israel’s enemies are often seen in conjunction with sea, the armies of Pharaoh being swallowed up by them. Israel passed through the sea, through the Jordan, and we pass through water baptism. The sea means chaos and sin. Thus, a simple observation: if YHWH is control and cosmos, sin is lawlessness and chaos.

Now, back to my text conversation with my friend: as we reflected on the world, we simply wanted consistency. But in that moment, like Peter on the raging sea, all we could identify was the continual rolling and breaking of the waves—the sea, the chaos of the deep.

And through this, I was reminded of something last night: I actually do have consistency and stability—I just do not have it with the world. The consistency and stability that I have is found only in Christ, my rock and fortress, my ever present help in times of need. To look to the world for stability is to place my faith in something other than the redeeming work of Christ. Would political, financial, and peaceful stability be nice? Of COURSE it would--but that isn’t the norm in this fallen world, and "a predicatbale life" is not the norm for a Christian on this side of glory. The sea will continue to roll and neither you nor I can depend on it or expect it to do otherwise.

So, what do we do? Like Christ, we all must learn to sleep in the boat buffeted by the waves, to collect firewood from asps when shipwrecked, and to know that the only consistency or stability for the Christian is Christ. If we keep thinking “that wave was the last one,” we are in for one confusing and discouraging journey.