By: Rex Stump
In the summer of 1989 I moved to Wauseon, Ohio and began my spiritual journey as a youth pastor. I remember spending countless hours with kids having fun swimming in the multiple ponds found in our area.
Years later we moved into a house that had a pool, and now my family enjoyed countless hours having fun in the water!
So, it was a “no-brainer” when my friend invited us to use his oceanside condo for free! Once again, we enjoyed countless hours in the ocean.
In the pool, we would toss toys in the pool and then dive in trying to retrieve them in record time. In the ocean, we would put on masks and try to find shells.
Obviously, it was much easier searching for things in the pool compared to the ocean. Personally, I’d prefer a pool over a pond or the ocean. The ocean is great, but when it comes to swimming, I want to see what’s below me.
There is an interesting scripture in the book of Micah that says, “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Ponder that! It’s an incredible picture of confession.
Picture God hurling our sins into the sea! I was thinking that it’s bad enough to accidentally drop something in the sea, and then trying to figure out how to find it or retrieve it. You may put on a mask and search or jump overboard to try and regain it.
But this is intentional! When we repent, God cast, hurls, catapults our sins! First, we can’t even imagine the distance that He’s going to throw them.
Second, by the time we reach the location it hit the surface of the water, it already sank! Sin is described as a weight that slows us down, a heavy burden. So, I picture that confessed sin hitting the ocean surface and sinking quickly!
I also picture God joyfully casting our sin into the deep. Like a child skipping stones across the water, or throwing rocks into the water to create splashes, God joyfully casts our sins into the deep! It’s gone! What an incredible picture of confessed sin!
Corey Ten Boome said, “And then after he casts our sins into the sea, God posts a sign that says no fishing!” That’s awesome. Often due to guilt, we tend to revisit our bad choices, our sins. Listen, it’s gone! Sunk to the dark depths beyond our reach! Let it go!
Do you have a sense of guilt in your life, unconfessed sin weighing you down? Then confess whatever it is and ask God to forgive you.
Thanks to the work of Jesus on the cross, and the grace of God, we can be forgiven! Praise God for casting our sins beyond our reach! What a relief! What a gracious God!
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.
