What is it about waves?
As it is when reading the bible, or any piece of literature; as it is when studying mathematics; or as it is when examining the universe, etc., one must look for patterns and, upon finding them, ponder their significance. A pattern I’ve wondered about for many years is the structural formation called a wave. Waves exist in many forms and are a universal language of creation. Search any realm of existence and you will find them.
To say we are surrounded by waves is an understatement. We owe our lives to the ongoing movement of waves as they act in the form of gravity to keep our planet in line with all the other bodies in our solar system. They are significant to the sustainment of life in the form of light waves, sound waves, radio waves, etc. Biology comes to life through waves as hearts rhythmically pump blood, and the cycles of healing and regeneration take place; and of course, our earth experiences the wave-like, forward and back, forward and back again seasons of growth, death, and rebirth. Waves act upon matter in our universe to move and support it, and they are the means by which all life comes.
But waves are not just observed in the physical aspect of our universe. If we refocus the eyes of our minds and look at how mankind experiences life, we will see a different presentation of waves: History undulates with great rises and falls of civilizations, economies, and nations; ideas and discoveries invade in waves in science, religion, philosophy, and art engulfing and overtaking the old ways and christening the new; and great movements in hearts, in minds, and in peoples surge in waves, crashing in and breaking through the boundaries of established powers, changing the course of humanity.
The wave is a structure and manner of behavior that permeates creation invading every portion of it.
We may stand and be measured quite small in the totality of the universe, seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme, but we are here. We do exist, and we are watchers, feelers, participators, and askers. We want to know and be known, and for whatever reason, we are captivated by waves. Whether we are mesmerized by the ocean, hypnotized by the flickering waves of a campfire, or entranced by the inevitable patterns that emerge from chaos, we are rapt observers. Drawn to waves and at peace with their cyclical nature, something in us knows them intimately, creating the feeling they play some foundational role in our existence; that they are somehow fundamental to all that is.
Perhaps it is God whom our small eyes see when waves roll through our lives and through the universe. Perhaps we recognize him, our Creator, through the somewhat distorted vision field of our experience. We stare into the waves of our lives and those of the universe as if recognition is almost there; as if another minute looking into them will reveal something we remember from a time before time; as if our brains’ waves are syncing up with the original Wave-Maker and keep time with his motion.
Perhaps in spite of our smallness, he wanted us to see the patterns, ponder them, and see him.
Has there ever been a conscious human on this planet who has not sensed this call? Has there ever been one who has not, in some fashion, related to the idea that he is part of something greater than himself; that he may be small and yet the waves of life call him? The whole of creation is laid out for us all to see. The patterns rise up showing us something beautiful, and we are entranced and enthralled. We may not all find it within our constructs or systems to call him Creator and God, but we can still see what has been made. For me, he has shown himself to be the Wave-Maker who makes all things, who is the giver of life, and who draws all to himself; and I wonder if the great waves of the universe are the ripples from the very heartbeat of God pulsing life into existence.
What if that were true? What if God’s heart is the beating pulse that causes all waves in the universe to exist? Then he IS existence. He IS the very power that holds all that has ever existed together. What if every wave – every sound wave, gravitational wave, light wave through space, wave of history, art, science, and time is a ripple caused by the heartbeat of God reverberating throughout the universe coursing with his power and animating all?
I don’t know about you, but I like that thought.
I like the idea that God’s heart is that life-giving beat. And I like the thought that he wanted us little ones to see his work and its patterns, to recognize how it resonates with us, to feel the call, and to know him. I like the idea that he made it all so grand and awe-inspiring… for us. Call me egocentric or anthropocentric, whatever, but I think it’s pretty cool.
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” Romans 1:20.
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