In the ancient Near East, oceans were a common symbol for the powers of chaos and death. In the Bible, however, the sea is no threat to God, for He created it and it obeys His commands. When Jesus “arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm,” it is not surprising that His disciples “feared exceedingly,” for they were suddenly aware that they were in the very presence of God (Mark 4:39-41).

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them. Psalm 89:9

Living on land, we rarely consider that the vast majority of the earth’s surface is ocean, and it is the primary controller of our daily environment. Acting as both heart and lungs for the planet’s intricate circulatory system, it supplies the water, air, and temperature that we need to live. Containing 97 percent of the earth’s water, the ocean drives the hydrologic cycle that gives us freshwater. Its currents cool the land in summer and heat it in winter, and its continental shelves are home to 80 percent of the world’s plants, which provide the bulk of the oxygen that we breathe.

Who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!” Job 38:8-11

Photo Locations: 1. Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington; 2. Cloudbreak, Tavarua Island, Fiji; 3. Heceta Head, Oregon Coast; 4. Cape Kiwanda, Oregon; 5. Face Rock, Oregon