Deep calls to deep
At the roar of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have gone over me.
Psalm 42:7
Waves barrel, one after the other, allowing just enough time to kick and claw up to the border of air and no air, only to encounter a foot of wet foam and another ton of water rolling over on top, forcing me down and under the thundering, bubbling dark below the underside of a monster wave, which strips any hope of rising above the tumult. This dream, so real in sleep, personifies real day time worries.
For a Christian, experiencing helplessness opens a gateway to intimacy with our Lord. We grab for a shred of Jesus’ cloak and cling to Him as He guides our feet to higher ground with His steadying hand. We realize we are not in control. We are not God and cannot steer things which we want to happen nor prevent looming disaster, so we turn toward Jesus, not away. As Peter said,
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Peter doesn’t say that he turns to Jesus because Jesus will fix everything here, and now. Peter turns to Jesus, because Jesus is the image of the invisible God…all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together….For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1)
When, like Peter, we are convinced of Jesus’ identity and can mentally release ourselves and everything dear to us to His will, the storm may rage, the disaster may still loom, but He places us on a Rock higher than ourselves in the midst of chaos. This peace in the eye of the storm is a greater power, a greater gift than fixing a circumstance which will inevitably be replaced with another troubling circumstance.
We cannot stop bad things from happening in this broken world, just as we cannot control our dreams, but we can experience unexplainable peace and calm in the midst of whatever happens. We can even rejoice, knowing Jesus will reconcile all that is wrong. He is our ever present Rock.
Hear my cry, O God,
Listen to my prayer;
From the end of the earth I call to You
When my heart is faint,
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:1-2
Rejoice in the lord always, I say it again rejoice.
Do not be anxious about anything but
In everything by prayer and supplication
With thanksgiving
Let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4,6-7
The ocean metaphor certainly personifies our life storms…I love all the wonderful scripture reminders here, Suzy! Great ones to write out and memorize for all those times of trouble 😉
You’re right, Jen. It’s good to have those verses in our back pocket to pull out when we need them.
Suzy this metaphor was incredible and I see this so often, in my life. Words can not explain how much I truly know that Jesus pulls me up every morning I must lean on him and hold his unfailing unyielding hand for my every step.
God Bless
Felicia, one of the most beautiful aspects of His deliverance is that when you lose your grasp on his hand, He does not lose His grip on you. Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 139:5 “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.”
Beautiful, Suzy. It provides such deep peace to know that when the storms of life come our way, he holds me fast. His hold on me is sure!
Kate, He does hold you fast. I also love a song by JJ Heller “When my world is shaking, heaven stands.” I think it’s based on Psalm 46: 1-3.God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Sometimes, this is exactly how life feels, like the ground gives way, and there is not footing to be found. He is an every present help.