Thy Way Is in the Sea

 Temple Baptist Church - 3-2-2025

Psalm 77

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Why the seas; why the hard paths of life; why the unknown future of our travels that bring about much peril?    There is an old saying,  “When you cannot track God, you can trust God!”

 

B.  As a general rule, when seas are mentioned in the Bible, they are places of hardship or difficulty.  They are places that test our faith!  In this particular Psalm, we find “hindsight’s 20/20” in operation.  The Psalmist looks at the trial from start to finish. 

 

1.  Faith’s Confidence – vs. 1  “God Will!”

 

2.  Faith’s Confusion – vs. 2  “God Hasn’t!”

 

3.  Faith’s Complaining – vs. 3  “God Won’t!”

 

4.  Faith’s Contemplation – vs. 4-9  “God has turned His back on me”

 

5.  We Find Consideration – vs. 10-18  “God has been here and done it before”

 

6.  Faith’s Continuation – vs. 19-20   “God will do it once more”

 

C.  Why was the Psalmist overwhelmed? 

 

1.  Often, in the midst of our storms, we see as Christ’s disciples saw.  The wind and waves are now in our boat and the Lord is nowhere to be seen!  Because we are human, we lose sight of the Lord and the knowledge of what He has done in the past and concentrate on “bailing the water out of our boat” in the present. 

 

2.  We never seem to learn that, when we come to the end of our strength, it is only then that we find His!

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  (8)  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  (9)  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  (10)  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

D.  Seas speak of the trials and troubles of this life.  They constantly remain in motion with underwater currents and external waves subject to great winds.  Seas in general are immense!  The Red Sea to Israel, which had no boats or planes, was just such a sea.  Life is hard at best. 

 

E.  Life is hard at best.  When I think of the great sea, I think of the Pacific Ocean.

 

1.  Great Depths - The Mariana Trench is 36,201 feet deep (Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world, stands only 29,029 ft. tall).

 

2.  Immense Size - The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world. It covers 69,375,000 square miles.

 

3.  Incredible Power – Currents, great 100 foot waves at times, and tsunamis that cannot be contained.

 

4.  Sudden tempests – Storms of great magnitude.

 

5.  Long Crossings – Thousands of miles over major oceans.

 

6.  Physical Impossibilities – I can neither wade through nor can I swim across them.  I often go to the Atlantic and the possibility of swimming across it never even crosses my mind.  There are fish there that would love to make a meal off of this fat preacher!

 

F.  The Psalmist said, “Thy way is in the sea and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”  God often allows His children to come to hard places in their lives.  Not paths chosen by us, but paths that are allowed by Him.  This verse tells me three things:

 

1.  God’s Path Is Not Always Easy!  We seek the easy way but often the hard way is the best.

 

2.  God’s Path Is Always Ahead Of Us!  As God told Moses and the children to “Go forward,” He expects the same of us.  “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is an old saying. 

 

3.  God’s Path Is Not Always Visible!  God often does not show us the path that we are to tread.  We had much rather know where we are going but we are to follow God so as to know where He is going.

 

1.  God’s Sea is a Prepared Place – His Property!   God created the seas and knew every part of them like the “back of His hand!”  He made every mountain and every valley we will come to.  I believe that God knows every trial that we will face in our lives.  It is not that God creates sinfulness, nor does He condone it, but I believe that God still controls it!  It Is Not The Way Of Our Comprehending!

 

2.  God’s Sea is a Providential Place – His Permission!  God knew before He ever created the world that Israel would one day stand at that precise place, because the “hand of God” led them there.  It was a place of God’s choosing.  Every good General picks his place and time of battle.  God chose the place of Israel’s crossing.  So does God allow us to be brought to hard places in His providence!    

 

a.  It Is Not The Way Of Our Comfort! 

 

b.  It Is Often The Harder Way! 

 

c.  It Is Often The Longer Way! 

 

d.  It Is Not The Way Of Our Choosing! 

 

e.  It Is Often The Only Way!  When you have no choice, you can make no wrong decision!

 

3.  God’s Sea is a Powerful Place – His Parting!  When I see the ocean, it never ceases to amaze me with its magnitude and its power!  It goes beyond the horizon; it goes for thousands of miles; no power on earth can either tame it or stop it.  It is controlled only by God!  When we come to our sea—Seas Of Disappointment, Seas Of Discouragement, Seas Of Dire Circumstances, Seas Of Duration, Seas Of Doubt—they are seas where God can show His might power!

 

4.  God’s Sea Is A Protected Place – His Pillar! 

 

a.  When Israel came to the impossible, impassable Red Sea and the enemy drew near to destroy, God placed Himself between the enemies of God’s people and the people of God.  No matter how they hated Israel and Israel’s God, they could do nothing to draw any nearer than God would allow. 

 

b.  God has put Satan and the enemies of God’s children on a leash!  The most protected place is not always the easiest one.  The most protected place is in the midst of the fire in the will of God.

 

5.  God’s Sea Is A Purposed Place – His Plan! 

 

a.  His purpose is to deliver the children of God!  God does not propose that we be destroyed, and He will show up on time to deliver.  When we get to the end of life and look back, we will see the hand of God in our lives. 

 

b.  His purpose is to destroy the enemies of God!  As God destroyed Israel; as God destroyed Haman; God will destroy those who oppose Him and refuse to get right.  Egypt could have been spared if, at any time, they had turned around, but God hardened their hearts, and they continued until they perished. 

 

c.  His purpose is to purify the saint and bring praise and glory to God!  In the sea, God is still God!  Just let God be God, trust Him with all you have, and He will be glorified.