Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for 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.
2 Samuel 22:17-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
I can remember many times in my life when I was in the midst of difficulty. I experienced a very painful experience with infidelity and the subsequent divorce that followed. I then went through financial challenges that came with handling child support and getting my life in order as well as emotional challenges as I was now a parent who only had visitation rights with the children that were born to me.
Yes…I have dealt with many issues in life because that’s what happens to us isn’t it. As we live, we are destined to have to deal with difficult circumstances. And it’s during those times that even the most devout believer can have their faith shaken at its foundations.
David certainly experienced more than his share of difficulties in life, some brought on by his own sinfulness and some not…just like what happens with us. And in the midst of those trying times, we see David write some awesome words of assurance and comfort for us as we continue to look at his song of praise in 2nd Samuel, Chapter 22. David writes:
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for 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.
As David faced great adversity and threats on his life, he had to flee twice from his assailants to stay alive. And it was in those times of uncertainty and need that the Lord “reached down from on high’, “took a hold of David” and “drew (him) out of deep waters”.
Truly, as we have already seen in David’s prior writing, the Lord is mighty to save…and only He is that mighty. He’s mighty enough to rescue us from powerful enemies and strong foes who will confront us, as they did David, in the time of his disaster. And as he brings us heavenly support, He shows us just how much He loves us and supports us…bringing divine rescue when we need it most because He delights in us…His children.
Question: Have you experienced divine rescue in your life? Has the Lord ever reached down to you when you were in the deep waters and saved you from drowning?
I think we all have experienced this to some degree.
So given this, why do we ever doubt? Why do we ever lose faith in the One we know can bring divine rescue to us at any time?
Well, maybe it’s because we are sinners and less than perfect people who live in a world that is filled with doubt and faithlessness. And immersed in that environment, sometimes we are directly affected by it. It happens. But when it does, we can rest assured that the Lord is there to throw us a life ring and save us from demise if it’s His will to do so.
Looking to the New Testament scriptures, we need look no further than Peter to see how doubt can creep in to even the most devout followers of the Lord and cause them to begin to sink into the deep. Consider this passage:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
“Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Matthew 14:22-33
In this occurrence, we see Peter who Jesus had called the rock he would build His church upon (Matthew 16:18) seeing Jesus walking across the water. Not believing His eyes, He asked Jesus to call for him if it was really Him. And Jesus did just that.
So Peter, the faithful disciple, climbed out of the boat and when he did something remarkable happened. He too walked on water and began to head toward Jesus, his Lord and soon to be His Savior.
Note that Peter wasn’t in any distress at the time he stepped out of the boat. His faith in Jesus sustained Him and kept him on top of the water, But then things changed, didn’t they? Scripture tells us that Peter experienced the winds on the water and became afraid. His faith shaken by his fear, Peter began to sink into the water…and in the midst of his sinking, he cried out to Jesus:
“Lord, Save me!”
And save Peter is just what Jesus did, reaching out his hand and catching him as he sank before helping him back into the boat and asking, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Indeed, why did Peter doubt? For the same reason that we sometimes do. Because he, like us…like David, were sinners who need a Savior to save and rescue us. We’re people who become afraid when the winds of life begin to blow around us and disrupts. We’re a people who easily begin to sink into the deep because we allow our faith to waver and find ourselves in a place where we call out, “Lord, Save me!” And when we do, we find out just like Peter did…just like David did…that the Lord is always ready to reach out, grab us and bring us divine rescue from whatever troubles us…from whatever would distract us from the mission that the Lord has given us (Matthew 28:18-20).
Friends, is this not good news for us…not only today but each and every day. We need never fear…never be afraid…never doubt…no matter what life might bring our way. Because we have a Lord who saves…a Lord who is ready to bring us divine rescue in accordance with His will for us.
We would be better served to just trust Him always…and find ourselves in a place of rejoicing and praise like David was when he wrote his song. For not only is there not a better way to live life, but it’s what the Lord expects from each and every one of us. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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