The Sheer Sweetness of Soaked Fields: Why I Marvel at God's Chosen Floods
You know, sometimes I look out at the world, and it's just… a lot. Life throws curveballs, doesn't it? But lately, I've been finding this weird kind of comfort in thinking about the really dramatic stuff in the Bible, the stuff that most people might shy away from. And for me, nothing quite embodies that like the stories of floods. We hear a lot about Noah's Ark and that grand, sweeping deluge, but what really gets me are the smaller, less famous floods. The ones where the waters just… come.
Like, have you ever read about the floods in the book of Isaiah? It says in Isaiah 28:2, “Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.” Powerful, right? I mean, imagine the sheer force of that, the overwhelming power. I used to see floods as purely destructive, but now I see them, and this verse really helps me, as God's way of clearing the way, of washing things clean. It's like a cosmic reset button.
I remember last spring, we had a crazy amount of rain where I live. The creek behind my house went from a little trickle to a raging river in a matter of hours. My backyard, which I’d just planted a bunch of new flowers in, was completely underwater. It was devastating at first. I was so angry; I had worked so hard. But then, I started thinking about Isaiah, and you know, it made me stop and consider the purpose of it. I lost some plants, sure, but afterward, the soil was richer, the grass grew back greener. And weirdly, I found this strange sense of peace in it all. The water had come and gone, and something new could start, maybe something better.
And it's not just about the big, literal floods. I think it applies to the metaphorical ones too. Life throws so much at us: disappointments, heartbreaks, job losses. These are like little floods, washing over us and making us feel like we’re drowning. But then you read something like Psalm 107:33-35: “He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground… he turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.” It’s a beautiful cycle. God isn't just about destruction; He's about restoration too. These "floods" are ways He challenges us and moves us, but also where He makes us new.
I even see it in my daily life now. When I’m having a tough day, feeling overwhelmed or stuck, I try to remember the imagery of those biblical floods. It’s like a reminder that sometimes you have to go through the storm to get to the calm. You have to allow those "waters" to wash over you, to clear out the old and make room for the new. It’s not comfortable, and it's rarely what I would choose for myself, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe discomfort is exactly what we need.
It’s honestly transformed my outlook. I've started to appreciate the ebb and flow of life in a new way, learning to trust in the process, even when it doesn’t make sense. When I feel like I’m being “flooded” with challenges, I now try to look for the growth that will emerge afterward. I find the sheer sweetness in that cycle, the trust that everything, even the hard parts, is all part of something bigger, something divine. I’ve learned not to fight the process, to instead trust in it, knowing it’s part of God’s great design, pushing me to be better, more resilient.
So, I want to ask you all, what “floods” have you experienced in your life? How have you seen God’s hand in them, washing away the old and ushering in the new? Maybe examining these trials with new eyes will unlock a level of peace and acceptance for you as well.