Deep Dark Waters

I was about 7 or 8 and having a picnic with my family on Lake Michigan. Being the perpetual explorer and determined to challenge my parents from a very young age, I set out on a trek along the shoreline. Climbing over the dunes, I came to a river blocking my way. The rapids were slight... for a kayak. I began pushing through them to reach the far shore. I don't remember everything except that I became trapped by a rock and was held down by the surging waters. Hey, this was something new. I'm sure there was panic, but mostly I remember being plucked from the waters by a young woman. Had she given me her name, I would never have forgotten it. She was beautiful, an angel from heaven. I can still picture her hands reaching through the surface to free me. Sadly, CPR was not needed as I was not down long enough.

The waters surrounded me, but I was spared. Saved to life.



David had a number of enemies. He wrote about them quite a bit in the Psalms. It seems that someone was always after him. Our enemies aren't the same as David's, at least for most of us. Yet, we still have enemies - negative thoughts, habits, hurtful people, or troubling situations. They create moments where we feel like waters are closing in on us. Deep and dark waters. Water where there is no clear site of land. Those are the moments where we flail and kick for life, but nothing seems to work.

During those times, I call out. Loudly. I stop all things and take time to be with the One who is my lifeguard. Our Lifeguard. When my wandering and straying takes me to the rapids, I am always brought back to shore after helps, yelps and my hands reached upward to the Hand waiting to pull me out.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from my foes, who were too strong fro me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Ps 18