PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Warning – we’re going all over the place today.
When I was a little girl, I read Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”
And I love the Disney movie of the same name.
But the truth is (spoiler alert!), Disney plastered a happily-ever-after ending on what is actually a pretty dark and grim fairy tale that involved bleeding feet, the sensation of walking on knives, and the mermaid didn’t even get the prince.
He married a human and in her grief, the mermaid died and became sea foam.
Now, y’all are about to get a glimpse into how my brain works…
Ever since I was a child, reading has always resulted in sidebar research, even when I read fiction or fairy tales (and it’s why it often takes me so long to get to a point because I have so many sidebar thoughts).
When I read “The Little Mermaid” as a girl, I remember being curious about what sea foam actually is because I knew it wasn’t just bubbles…
Since we didn’t have Google back in the day, I broke out the trusty old Britannica to find out.
To put it succinctly – sea foam is whipped up decay.
The National Ocean Service website gives a little more specific details, including, “Seawater contains dissolved salts, proteins, fats, dead algae, detergents and other pollutants, and a bunch of other bits and pieces of organic and artificial matter. If you shake this glass of ocean water vigorously, small bubbles will form on the surface of the liquid. Sea foam forms in this way – but on a much grander scale – when the ocean is agitated by wind and waves.”
So there’s that visual for the next time you go to the beach.
But what does this have to do with a prayer prompt?
It started with the graphic.
I was praying about what to write today when I saw this picture of sea foam.
And I wondered if there was a spiritual lesson there.
As I pondered that question, I thought about how sometimes when the storms of life leave us shaken, impurities come out.
We know that God will use all situations—from ordinary moments to tragic events—to His purpose.
Our ability to trust God in all things enables Him to shake out the impurities in our lives.
We know people who come out of tragic situations or even after “hitting rock bottom” with stronger faith and trust.
I think that’s a clear example of how God can use storms to change us.
But I’m getting ahead of myself…
We need some Scripture, so let’s go to Hebrews 12:25-27 which says, “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’ This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.”
Y’all, I want to be unshakeable.
At the end of it all, I want God to find a woman of unwavering faith who believes in His plan and purpose with her whole heart.
If a little shaking has to happen in order to get the rotten out of me, okay.
But the way I’m going to be the woman He wants me to be is through listening to God and then obeying Him.
And I’m listening.
God is bigger than anything we go through, whether it’s a sickness, financial hardship, divorce, death, or even just dealing with someone who annoys the ever-living-snot out of you.
Today, as you pray, thank God that He has a plan and a purpose, even in difficult circumstances.
Ask Him to remove the sinful decay from your life so that even when your world is shaken, you can stand strong with unwavering faith.
