Nancy and I took our first visit to Niagara Falls. Although we were looking forward to the getaway, I wasn’t expecting to be wow-ed by the experience. We had already seen Victoria Falls in Zambia, and I couldn’t imagine anything more impressive. Yesterday, I was proven wrong!

According to Niagara Falls official website, there are a few theories as to how the area got its name. The first theory states that Niagara is a derivative of the Iroquoian word, Onguiaahra, which was anglicized by missionaries. The name appears on maps as early as 1641. The generally accepted meaning is, “The Strait”.  Some think it was derived from the narrow waterway that flows north from Lakes Erie to Lake Ontario. Early maps do not refer to the Niagara River but the Niagara Strait, which is more correct.

Another view sees Niagara as coming from a group of native peoples named the Niagagarea, and the final suggestion is that Niagara is derived from a native word meaning “thundering waters.”

I’ll leave the experts to debate the derivation of the name Niagara, but one thing is for sure – those were indeed some thundering waters. There are taller waterfalls in the world. There are wider water falls in the world. It is the sheer amount of water flowing over the falls that makes it so very impressive. More than 6 million cubic feet of water go over the falls every minute!

We took the Journey Behind the Falls tour that took us down 125 feet to tunnels made about 130 years ago. We walked through those tunnels about 200 feet under the falls, and the rumbling sound of so much water above was very apparent. You really didn’t want to dwell on the fact that so much water moved so rapidly just overhead.

We also took the a cruise out to the middle of Horseshoe Falls (the largest part of the falls and that shown most in photos). They provide a rain poncho for everyone who goes, and it is needed. The closer you come to the falling water, the wetter you get! The force of the tons of water crashing into the river below creates clouds of mist and moves a lot of air. It felt like a very windy day.

I took lots of pictures, but there came a point where I simply put my phone in my pocket and leaned on the rail looking at God’s majestic creation before my eyes. The position of the boat put us in the rough waters in the middle of the horseshoe. It was there that I was reminded of the words of Psalm 93 – “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.” (Psalm 93:4)

As powerful as Niagara Falls is, it pales in comparison to the might of the Lord. It is, however, a picture of His power. We can measure the power of Niagara Falls, but we can never measure the power of God. It is beyond limits, for He is Almighty. And because He is who He is, we can trust Him fully.