Have you ever walked through a season that felt like you were drowning? Grasping for air, barely breaking the surface, only for another wave to crash down and drag you under once more? If you have, then you know what it’s like to be in deep waters.
Picture this: you are the only person in a vast ocean. All you see are incoming waves. Everywhere you look… water. It’s dark. It’s deep. And beneath you is everything you are trying to survive.
The waves keep coming, one after another. Just when you think you can catch your breath, another crashes over you, pulling you under yet again. The salt burns your eyes, blurring your vision. Your lungs strain for air. And in the brief moments between each incoming wave, fear whispers, “What if I don’t make it this time?”
These deep waters don’t always look the same. When we find ourselves in deep waters, it’s not our bodies that are drowning, it’s our hearts. And God is always working on our hearts. Refining them. Strengthening them. Purifying them so we can rise again. They can come in the form of betrayal. Sometimes disappointment, rejection, heartbreak, injustice, shame or seasons of waiting that feel like they may never end. Beneath these waters sink feelings of hopelessness, defeat, and even desperation. They have a way of making you feel small, powerless, and exhausted from simply trying to stay above the surface.
There’s no one around to rescue you — except God.
And most times, God’s rescue doesn’t come in the form we expect. Is it instant? It can, but I haven’t always found it to be. Other times it’s slow, and sometimes it’s internal, strengthening, shaping, or sustaining you while you’re still in the deep waters. Like, David who felt like he was sinking in the deep waters, yet he cried out to God, who sustained him. (Psalm 69:1–2)
We may still find ourselves in the waters, but not alone, because He is with us.
David felt spiritually overwhelmed. He felt isolated and misunderstood. He was falsely accused, worn out, and desperate, yet he still cried out to God. David wasn’t rescued instantly. He was sustained.
“I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.” – Psalm 69:3
In the book of Isaiah, we see God’s promise. The promise is not the absence of deep waters, but His presence within them.
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown” – Isaiah 43:2
Notice that God mentions when you go through deep waters, not if. He knew we would find ourselves in hard places that would feel unbearable. God is always present, even when at times we might not feel it. God’s grace and love are working beneath the deep waters, guiding us to still waters. In the middle of it all we are being transformed even if circumstances haven’t changed, our perspective, faith, and strength do. This is also God’s rescue.
God is calling us to shift our focus from our circumstances to Him, to choose faith over fear. To ground ourselves in His presence rather than our pain. To pray consistently with a pure heart. To rely on Him and consecrate ourselves onto to Him. In return, He strengthens us and showers us with His love. His strength and His love conquers all.
This is not an easy change to make. So many things keep us from surrendering it all to Him. It takes love. It takes forgiveness. It takes faith. It requires trusting the Lord even when we don’t receive instant rescuing or answers. Cry out to Him like David. Reflect on the promise in Isaiah. God is near and His love is stronger than all the waves that tried to take you under.
You may still be in the water. The waves may still be coming. But if He is with you, you will not drown, you will be sustained. He’s working something deep within you. Most times we don’t even know that the rising actual begins way before the waves stop. Will you live consumed by the waves, or trust in His promises? Are you ready to rise above deep waters?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Heal me oh God! Help me rise above the depth of these waters I find myself in. Lord, I pray you rescue my heart. You know the inner most parts of me and the deep waters I am in. Lord, give me confidence in your promise and that you will sustain me and help me rise above it all. Protect me, God. Help me choose you and not my pain. Help me grow, Lord. Bring me into still waters. Make peace my leader and righteousness my ruler. Lord, I want the fullness of your glorious life. Show me your ways, Lord. Help me shift my focus on you in times of trouble. Father, keep me wrapped in your love and restore me. Thank you for loving me. I love you, Jesus.
In Jesus name, Amen
