So far and no further

"You dominate the pride of the sea ; When his waves rise up, thou appeaseest them." Psalm 89. 9

I would like to share with you a childhood memory that is still useful to me today.

Sometimes our family passed through an ordeal, the outcome of which was uncertain and even agonizing; Sometimes even the situation worsened; My mother then said : "So far and no further." She was referring to this impressive verse from the book of Job, where the Almighty God speaks to the sea the day he creates the world : "You will come here and you will not go farther, and here will stop The pride of thy waves" (Job 38:11). What a majesty in these words ! The mighty waves of the sea, in their incessant movement, are under the control of God.

In the image of the sea we can see the power of Satan and the forces of evil, as the prophet Isaiah says : "The wicked are like the troubled sea, which can not stand still, and whose waters throw out Vase and mud "(Isaiah 57:20).

It is possible that some of our events have the same origin as those of Job. Satan struggles with God about one of his servants. But the book of Job shows us very reassuringly that this evil power that seeks to harm us is under the control of God. Again, it is as if God said to Satan, "You will come here and you will not go further." After Chapter 2, Satan is no longer mentioned, but God deals more specifically with Job and blessed him richly in the end.

We were surprised by the aggravation of our distress, sometimes to an extreme point. Yet what calms us is that we know that God retains control. And when death comes ? Everything is still under the control of Jesus Christ. His lordship even continues in death : "Indeed, it is for this that Christ died and has taken life again: it is in order to be Lord over both the dead and the living" (Romans 14: 9).

Lord Jesus, in the trials of life, give me to hear your powerful and sovereign voice : "You will come here and you will not go further."

Source (To pleasing the Lord)