How Deep, How Wide Is the Father’s Love for Us

I love being near the water. There’s something magical about walking the shoreline at night. I am naturally a night owl and love the hush of the world around me, the whisper of waves rolling onto the sand, the cool grains shifting beneath my feet. The moon casts a silver path across the water, and the stars stretch endlessly above. These moments are when I feel the Lord is closest to me.

The ocean is my favorite. It is deep, powerful, and alive with unseen currents. It is both gentle and fierce, familiar and mysterious all at once. In the same way, God’s love for us is immeasurable, limitless, and beyond human understanding. Every wave reminds me that He can hold everything I bring to Him. Nothing is too much or too little and nothing escapes His care. Unfortunately, I no longer near on a coast where the ocean is at my doorstep. So, for now, I walk around a local lake when I need to clear my mind and process some things with God. When I cast my cares to the Lord, I imagine them drifting out to sea, carried far beyond my sight, yet safely cradled in His hands. I don’t have to understand every storm or solve every problem; He already knows. Just as the ocean holds countless creatures, currents, and mysteries, God’s heart holds me completely and perfectly. Just as there is so much about the ocean that remains unknown, there is so much about God’s love that we will never fully grasp. And yet, even in that mystery, I am safe, cherished, and held. I can release my anxieties and fears because they are met with a love that is stronger than any storm, deeper than any trench, and wider than any horizon I can see.

Walking along the shoreline at night, I feel enveloped by the world around me. The waves lap rhythmically at the shore and the darkness is softened by the glow of moonlight on the water. Everything feels alive, and yet, everything feels peaceful. It’s as if the Lord is whispering to my soul, reminding me: I am here. I am with you. You are safe. In those moments, awe turns into trust, and fear turns into surrender.

There are nights when I find myself walking along the lake near our home. The world is quieter then. The kids are asleep, the dishes are done, and the notifications have finally stopped buzzing. Sometimes I bring big things with me on those walks like decisions I don't know how to make, burdens I can't seem to put down, worries about people I love. Other times, if I'm being honest, I bring little things. The awkward conversation I keep replaying. The disappointment I can't shake. The frustration from a day that didn't go as planned. And every now and then I catch myself wondering if I should save God's attention for the bigger issues.

Every time I walk along the shoreline, I think about a song lyric that once gave words to a longing I couldn't fully explain. It described the desire for something that could wash away the weight I was carrying. During that season, I wasn't sure my relationship with the Lord could be rebuilt, but I desperately wanted it to be.

Now, standing beside the water years later, I am reminded that God never asked me to carry those burdens alone. The freedom I longed for wasn't found in escaping the weight of life, but in casting it onto the shoulders of the One who cares for me. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your cares on him, because he cares about you". Not just the life-altering concerns. Not just the emergencies. All your cares. The reason we can bring everything to Him isn't because every concern is equally significant. It's because His love for us is so great. A loving Father wants to hear what is weighing on His children, whether it feels big or small.

As I walk beside the water, talking through the details of my day with the Lord, I'm reminded that prayer is not a performance and God is not a distant supervisor. He is a Father who welcomes His children near. He invites us to bring the burdens that keep us awake at night and the seemingly insignificant thoughts that linger in our minds throughout the day. Nothing is too big for His power, and nothing is too small for His care.

And now, as I return from a walk along the shore, I am reminded that both the extraordinary and the ordinary can be cast upon Him. Your worries and the desires of your heart are safe in His care. Like the magnificent ocean itself, the Father's love for us is deep, wide, and immeasurable, far greater than we could ever comprehend.