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"WHEN I IN AWESOME WONDER?"
Michigan's Golden Coast
Singing Sands
The lakeshore is filled
with many wonders. Sometimes they are so basic that we tend to overlook
them.
There is a feature of the shore that has only one or two duplicates in
the world. It is Michigan's "singing sands". Our creator has
through wave action created grains of sand of particular size and shape
that when rubbed together, through walking etc., they produce a somewhat
melodic sound like thousands of vibrating reeds of praise to God.
It is a sound that is in a rather medium pitch like a low hum. It is a
little sharper, though not unlike the human vocal cords when a person
is humming with their mouth closed. The sound is noticeable when walking
and sliding the feet for dragging a boat hull over the sand. It occurs
where the sand is moist near the shore but not saturated with water. I
am told the quartz of particular size and angulated shape which are produced
by the wave action is the reason. I am sure that anyone that has been
to the lakeshore has heard the sand though they are probably not aware
of its uniqueness.
I am reminded of Jesus comment in his triumphal entry that even "the
stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40) if the praises of
the people were silenced. In a godless society of our day it is striking
that man hears even the sand singing praises to our great and omnipotent
Creator.
Not only does the sound itself sing His praises as Creator but it also
calls the attention to His glory as the sovereign Savior of His people.
He has promised to be the Savior of the Children of Abraham who will be
so great in multitude that they number as the sand of the seashore. So
vast a multitude is this seed of Abraham that it cannot be numbered by
man, though our God had each and every one of us numbered before the beginning
of time. He also molds and shapes us to be a particular jewel that is
uniquely shaped to reflect His glory. Together we make up the body of
Christ a unified living whole, where each member, each saint, no matter
how great or small has an important and necessary place. Together we form
a harmonic unit like the multiple grains of singing sand that vibrates
in praise to God with one life of Christ worked in us by His Spirit.
May we never think that we do not have an important and special place
in the body of Christ. May we also wonder at the creation of our God as
even the grains of sand sing His praises.
May we have hearts full of wonder and thankfulness toward God like the
Psalmist who burst out with thanksgiving when contemplating the wonder
of His own creation. In Psalm 139: 17&18, we read, "How precious
also are thy thought unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If
I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake,
I am still with thee."
Singing Sands
Let my tongue not silent be
To sing Thy praise eternally.
My tongue Thy praise shall confess,
Like the singing sands, Thy name to bless.
Not a wonderful voice of solo is mine,
But, united with fellow saints brings praise refined.
Part of the everlasting throng,
Counted as the grains of sand, so strong.
With joy and wonder shall my tongue proclaim,
Praise to my Saviors holy name.
By: Deane Wassink
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