Whekl-come to God’s Word
Do you see what I see?
Strolling through warm sand, I hear the lull of waves splashing against the shore and the trilling of gulls as they scavenge for food. But I fix my eyes on the sand as I scan the beach for treasure—clamshells, limpets, sand dollars, any lovely shell I might collect. The best souvenirs from the beach are free, as our salvation in Christ.
Then I see it, a crown of whelk spikes partially exposed. I prize such a find. The intricate spiral twists up its slender stem. Beautiful. Perfect. Yet, more extraordinary are the truths this sea creature displays.
Whelks hatch from their eggs already wrapped in a shell. Their shells start as a thin, flimsy covering. The babies must eat to grow and build sturdier covers. As Christ-followers, we are born again by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). We continue to grow strong on the calcium of Scripture. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,” 1 Peter 2:2. Wrapped in the continuing calcification of God’s Word, He protects and shelters us. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” Matthew 7:24.
The more we study the Bible, we appreciate the intricate story of redemption. Truth upon truth twists into a wonderous spiral.
As our understanding of how each story echoes the same truth, we hear the voice of God Himself, like hearing the ocean as we hold a shell to our ear. At each twist and turn in life’s trials, we grow. We gain a more significant appreciation for His faithfulness. Our shelter through the storms grows. And a crown forms.
A crown of life (James 1:12 )—all for the King of Kings—crowns to cast at His feet (Revelation 4:10), as whelk shells scattered on the shore. He finds His treasure in us.
God creates many beautiful trinkets for beach-combers to gather. Blessed is the beach bum who grasps the great truths demonstrated by these tiny delights.
“I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162
Father, as we wander in Your world this summer, please, open our eyes to the beautiful lessons all around us. Amen