~ written by Connie Dunmyer
Have you ever stood at the edge of the beach where the ocean waves move in over your feet and beyond, and then back out again? It can be difficult to stay standing. If you stay there long enough for a few waves to go back and forth, you find that your feet have now sunk up to your ankles. And each wave makes it harder and harder to stay standing.
Earlier this week, we discussed the need to simply “BE”, to stand in faith. But I am also reminded that sometimes we fall. We’ve been so beaten by the waves, and try as we might (usually in our own strength), we find ourselves in deep waters, sinking into the deep muck and mire of our circumstances. So much so, that we can even despair of life itself. We are not alone in this.
Elijah just had the most amazing “mountain top” experience of life where God showed up in the most miraculous ways. But afterward, he became afraid for his life:
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” – 1 Kings 19:3-4
Job – you remember him:
20 “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, 21 to those who long for death that does not come… – Job 3:20-21
And then there’s David, who on more than one occasion prayed for death:
1 Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; … 4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. 5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. – Psalm 55:1-6
These are men who have had the best blessings from God, who know God intimately, and yet even they find themselves stuck in the muck and mire of life.
But we are called to STAND – to stand in faith. We cannot do both – it’s either wallow in the muck or stand upon the Rock.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. – Psalm 62:6-7
What happens when we’ve sunk in so far that we don’t even know how to climb out onto that Rock?
My thought is this – to even get out of the muck (the deep mire, the sand) – we need help. We need help to climb onto the Rock. We need Jesus to even be able to stand.
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. … 13 But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. 15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. – Psalm 69
But wait - - there’s more . . . .
This week I was reminded of something else regarding this HELP.
The giant Sequoia Redwood trees that we find in California are amazing. If you’ve never seen them, it is totally worth the trip. Anyway – they can be 350 feet tall and live for hundreds, even thousands of years. They are incredibly resilient, can withstand strong winds & storms, and even pests that take other trees down. But their roots are only 6 to 12 feet deep. Here’s the kicker … The only way their shallow roots can hold up these massive trees is that their roots spread out 100 feet horizontally and intertwine with other redwoods’ roots. Against the storms, the whole redwood forest is linked together and stands strong.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
As previously stated in other blogs, I’ve been under some pretty severe stresses lately. Yet for the most part, I have felt fine and overall stayed “standing”. I’ve had some “bad days” – but in general I’ve stood in faith. Which is really kind of a big deal for me. (I come from a long line of worriers, and so in the past “worry” has been my go-to.) Yet every time someone would come to me and ask how I’m doing, I would say “good” – and I meant it. And then they would tell me how much they are praying for me. For several weeks now, people keep commenting that they are and have been praying for me – specifically me.
Weeeeell, NO WONDER I’VE BEEN FINE!
THEY – through their prayers and connection with Jesus – have “helped me” to climb out of the muck, and onto the Rock and STAND. And I didn’t even realize it was happening.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. – Psalm 40
“When such depths threaten to overwhelm us, we can only stay our souls upon the sovereignty of God. It is by His design that we are experiencing these depths, and we are in His care. His love and grace are deeper than our woes, and He is in control of our circumstances. There are no depths which are beyond His knowledge and His power, no deep places where He cannot work out His holy purpose.” ~ “Grace Grows Best in Winter” by Margaret Clarkson.
So it’s never too late. Never too far. Never too hard. Never too dark. Never hidden. Never out of reach. The deeper I sink, the move love and grace fills in and fills up.
And as fellow believers, we have the opportunity to “help others onto that Rock”! They may never know the depths of prayer you’re praying. And you may never know the extent to which you are saving their very lives. But our Father, has put us together, knit our roots, so that intertwined TOGETHER we can stay standing! We can escape the grip of the muck and mire – and stand tall as Redwoods!
My Prayer:
Oh I need You. Oh how we need You. Please cover me fresh with Your salvation. Save me from myself. I need Your grace and forgiveness. I need Your comfort and Your strength. I need a miracle Lord, oh I need a miracle now! Let me touch the hem of Your garment, that I may live again. There are others praying for the same thing in their lives, Lord. You are here. You are there. I lift them to You also. I pray for their salvation, their needs, their comfort, and strength. We are mere mortals without You. But with You, IN You, in your your Name, on that solid Rock, we are saved, we are blessed, we are eternal, and we are standing. - Amen.
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