“The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.”
Some days, it feels like I'm drowning. Drowning in a sea of frustration, disappointment, and stress. Carried away by the waves of uncertainty and calamity. Struggling to keep my head above the water. Fighting for every breath and the strength to keep going. Yes, in my world, the floods have lifted up their voice, and let me tell you, they have nothing nice to say.
To catch you up on our latest craziness, I'll give you a short recap of this year to date. In January, we broke down in Utah and spent four days waiting for repairs. In February, we crashed and totaled our motorhome. In March, we broke down on our way home and spent one night at a rest area and another full day in the repair shop. It's now April, and the pattern of misfortune continues. Our motorhome has been down for a couple of weeks and in the shop for over a week. This time, the trouble seems to be related to some bad bearings in the coach's rear end, but until the repairs are completed, we won't know if that's the only issue. In addition to that, we've had to replace our tow car because it was having problems, and the repairs would have cost more than the vehicle was worth. Good grief!
In the past few months, we've bounced from hotel rooms to prophet's chambers to my parents' house to our motorhome(s). Half the time, I'm not sure if we're coming or going. We've lived out of suitcases and the trunk of our car. We have felt both displaced and misplaced. And all the while, we've been trying to make it to our meetings and to present "the best side" of ourselves at each church we attend. Let me tell you, that's a difficult task when you feel like you're drowning. Staying afloat is hard enough!
I don't tell you all of this so you'll feel sorry for me. (Trust me, I've given myself enough pity for an entire lifetime.). No, I share this with you because maybe you, too, feel like you're drowning. I know I am not the only person going through trials, and frankly, I know of some who are going through things that make my troubles seem like nothing. Life is rough! And sometimes, no matter how hard we try to put on a brave face, we feel the waves threatening to pull us under.
Yes, I think many of you can relate to the verse above. But fortunately, the passage doesn't end there. If it did, we'd be left with little hope of survival. But, no, the passage goes on and offers us an anchor of hope to which we can cling.
“The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.”
The waves are strong, but God is stronger. The noise around us is mighty, but God is mightier. The sea is fighting to pull us under, but God is holding us up. He is our Anchor. No matter how violent the sea may be (and it can be tumultuous), God is in control. He is our Refuge and Strength. He can keep us going when we feel like giving up. He can give us the strength to continue when we can barely stand. He offers love, grace, and mercy. He is always with us and continually for us. And He will see us through to the other side. It may not be easy. It may not be smooth. But He will not fail us.
Would I rather be sailing calm seas? Sure. But I'll leave you with a line from a gospel song that sums up my feelings about facing the waves: "I'd rather be in the storm with Him than in calm waters alone."