I have fond memories, as a young boy, of walking along the water’s edge on any Mornington Peninsula beach at low tide - Rosebud, Rye, Dromana, McCrae etc. It always fascinated me that the tide at Rosebud, in particular, seemed to ebb such a long way out as to leave you with an 80-100 metre walk over temporarily exposed seabed before there was enough water in which to swim. All sorts of debris, rocks, seaweed, shells, starfish, mooring buoys, crab cages, and so on, were laid bare at low tide; and the occasional crab would scurry for cover as I ventured past the shoreline to where it had been more than a metre deep just hours earlier. Boats with limp anchor chains would be mournfully leaning over on the sand awaiting re-flotation.
Tides. They fascinate me. We get two tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes. One low, one high. Ancient mariners knew the value of catching the turn of the tide (ebb tide) as they were leaving port. The ebb tide is that time when the sea level falls between high tide and low tide as water flows seaward. In some places around the world the turn of the tide, from high to low, can happen very quickly in either direction. If mariners could catch the ebb tide leaving port, the outrush of so much water so quickly would give huge momentum to those sailors and, thus, huge advantages in terms of time and energy saved. Catching the ebb tide would carry the biggest ships a very long way with almost no effort – all the captains had to do was steer. It was a real struggle to row against the tide, though.
A flood tide does the opposite. This is when water flows towards shore. I remember how rapidly the tide would come in at Rosebud on summer nights. Sometimes it took less than half an hour for boats and cabin cruisers to be bobbing on the waves again.
Apart from sea and estuary tides in the natural order, there are other tides, as well, that ebb and flow. There is the tide of public opinion, for example. This, too, is fascinating. I think we’re seeing the tide of public opinion in Western democracies turning. There seems to be a cultural ebb tide running right now. It is turning against the excesses of wokeism around the world which have gone so far as to become almost everything it rails against. In many countries, the general population have expressed their opposition to the extreme left flood tide of the last twenty years or so, and are voting back into power, right leaning governments. There’s weeks’ worth of debate in this, of course. For now I just make the observation. This Australia Day just gone saw a very significant rise in patriotic expression across all demographics. Some prominent big businesses have seen the turning tide and have suddenly retreated from their official wokey anti-Australia day stances. I mean, business is business, right?
In the spiritual realm, as well, there is an ebb tide about to run, I believe. There has been a flood tide of anti-Church, anti-Christian current running for a long time. Of course, the Church in some spheres has often not helped itself and has let many of us down. Nevertheless, my sense is, as I talk and share with other prophetics, that the tide is turning. And the Church must discern this very carefully and be prepared to catch the ebb tide of Holy Spirit momentum that is waiting to effortlessly carry the Church on this new current into a new season – an exciting new season. This is not mere enthusiastic rhetoric from a passionate pastor. No. Something is turning as we speak. I sense it. For years, to me anyway, it has felt as though we’ve been constantly battling a tide flowing against us – the Church, in general, that is. It has been hard work. But my deep sense is that even now this tide is turning and Holy Spirit is poised for serious activity. The flood tide has reached its fullest in this season but an ebb tide has started. We need to catch it.
Like the ancient mariners who knew the great advantage of the ebb tide as they were leaving port, so we, the Church must do likewise in a spiritual sense. Those ancient mariners did not have the high-tech means for knowing the ebb and flow of tides as we do today. They relied on local knowledge, experience, and intuitive observation in order to take advantage of the ebb tide. The Church, that is, every Christian, needs to develop this level of spiritual intuition and discernment – to discern the tides and what to do to work advantageously with them, whether flood or ebb tides. I have come to the view over the January break as I have reflected on all sorts of things, that the tide is turning in a big way – for the Church. There is a conviction about it in my spirit. It is no small thing.
The prophet Isaiah was one who alerted the people of God to a changing tide when he proclaimed on behalf of God …
Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!
Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
God was inviting His people to actually see the turning of the tide – in their favour, and for His glorious purposes – and go with it. It’s almost as if He asks Israel with some incredulity, “Really? You can’t see what I am doing? It’s already happening!” I get that same sense as I write this. The tide has already started to turn in the spiritual sense. Just look at what is already happening at ReChurch amongst the children, youth and young adults! The way they are praying, what they are saying, their passion for Jesus, their single-mindedness – it is fantastic and encouraging. The tide is turning and we are being presented with an opportunity that does not come all that often. To miss the tide is an expression in our Aussie vernacular that is not heard that much these days. It simply means to miss a crucial moment or rare opportunity.
There are times in our lives when we need to recognise and then take advantage of the ebb tide. It is such an incredibly important thing and we cannot let anything distract us, or sidetrack us. We need to take these ebb tide opportunities and go with the Spirit of God. Perhaps they come once in a lifetime. There are seasons where this spiritual ebb tide requires not much more than steering as God does a sovereign thing and carries His Church, and this is incredibly exciting. Jesus said,
Matthew 11:12b (NET)
[Jesus] “… the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people lay hold of it.”
Now is the time to be ready to cast off the ropes and go with God, be carried by the Spirit in these wonderful times of His sovereign activity. Forcefully seize this new thing – it won’t wait for you.
I am so excited that God has revealed this to my spirit. It is time to throw off all that hinders and get really focused – and to pray. That’s what I am doing … because I don’t want to miss the ebb tide.
Blessings
Ps Milton
[Sources: Wikipedia; WillyWeather Tide Times (website)]