God is Our Rescuer – Relax, Don’t Panic

When life throws you into turbulent waters, relax, don’t panic. Remember, God is our rescuer. Has life ever swirled around you so fast that you thought you might drown? As fear enveloped you, did you fight as hard as you could to make it stop, or reach out to others to help you gain some semblance of control? What should we do during these times? Recently, on a whitewater rafting trip, God reminded me exactly what we should do.

My Trip Through Turbulent Waters

On this trip, I should have been on a six-man raft, however, due to limited space, four of us were encouraged to take a ducky which is an inflatable kayak. We were assured that despite our lack of experience we would be safe. So, with some hesitation, I agreed. After all, they said it would be easy and promised there would be a guide from another raft that could help us if we found ourselves in trouble.  It was a beautiful trip down the river. There were a few minor incidences like getting stuck on a rock and losing my paddle, but it wasn’t long until I was paddling down the river again. For the most part, it was peaceful. That is until my journey was just about over.

Could I make it?

It was then I heard the roar of rapids up ahead. But where was the noise coming from? It was like the river had completely disappeared! When the rapids finally came into view, it reminded me of water rushing over a washboard sitting at a 30-degree angle. Fear tugged at me.  I knew I was in over my head. I should have never kayaked these rapids when I had no experience. Now faced with a mammoth hill of boulders, raging water, and no guide close by, I headed straight into the first rapid. Mastering it, I mentally celebrated, but it was premature. I bumped into a boulder which turned my kayak sideways. I had no time to recover. The river quickly directed me into the next rapid. I had lost control. My Kayak flooded and dumped me into the chilled waters of the Nolichucky River.

Thrown Into the Whitewater

As I was dumped out of my kayak, my initial thought was, “Here we go! I got this.” I love water and I consider myself a good swimmer, but when it comes to rapids neither of those things matter. When I hit the water, the sound of rushing bubbles filled my ears. The cold river had swallowed me whole. Then the unseen hands of the current pulled me under even further.  At the same time, it dragged me down the river over the rocks and boulders. The intense pull was strong enough to suck my right water shoe from my foot. 

I quickly realized I had no control no matter how hard I fought to surface. Panic started to rise within me as I was tossed about, and my lungs begged for air. “Don’t panic,” I told myself. “Relax, nose, and toes to the sky.” I knew I had to have faith in my life vest to bring me up from the bottom. I relaxed and gave complete control over to my vest. My face finally broke the surface; I then brought my toes up. I had confidence that what I had been taught would allow me to float and keep my feet from snagging and getting caught in between the boulders. 

It worked! I gasped for as much air as my tight vest would allow my lungs to take in, but just as I did, the current grabbed me once again.  It plunged me under the water dashing me against more boulders which scraped my shoe from my left foot. This time I broke through the surface more quickly, but catching a breath of air was difficult as the choppy water relentlessly slapped at my face.

Who Would Rescue Me?

 Finally, the waters started to calm.  As they did, something bumped against me, and I instinctively grabbed on not realizing at first what it was. Desperately wanting to get out of the water before the current grabbed me again, I called out for help.  But there was no one to help me. As I tried to calm the panic that threatened to rise again, I realized the thing I was holding on to was my kayak.  I clumsily flipped it over and slid my exhausted body into it. I took a deep breath.  Just then a raft drifted over to me, and someone handed me my paddle which they had found floating in the river. Shoeless, bruised, and exhausted I paddled off praying the Lord would protect me through the last leg of my journey.

God is Our Rescuer

As I reflected on my experience later that night, I thought about the parallels between my experience and my Christian walk. Many times, my initial reaction is to fight to control difficult situations. Then when I realize I can’t control it, I start to panic. However, I need to relax and remember to trust the Lord because God is our rescuer.

1. Relax and Rest in Him

God tells us in Psalms 46:10 to be still and know that He is God. Deep breath, don’t panic; trust Him. Trust that all will go according to His plan. A Christian’s life is not his own. It is the Lord’s to use for His glory.  We can rest in Him because our hope comes from Him (Ps. 62:5). Just like I had to relax and trust my life vest to lift me to the surface. When we rest in Christ, he will bring us up from the turbulent current where we can breathe and rest more easily.

2. Call on God First

Another thought I had looking back was why I always call others for support first when I should call on God first. He gives me everything I need. Whenever something difficult happens in my life, first I pick up the phone to talk to a girlfriend instead of hitting my knees and crying out to the Lord. The Lord tells us to, “call to me all who are weary…” (Matthew 11:28). On the river, I was exhausted, calling for someone to rescue me (they never came) when my help was already at hand.

3. God Provides

God had already provided for me. I was just too busy calling for others to notice what God had placed right beside me. Many times, I have seen the Lord move, not when I call a friend, but when I stop and lift my voice to Him. My help comes from the Lord (Ps. 121:1). He is my rescuer. Does he take me out of the situation? No, however, he always provides a way through. For instance, He didn’t take me out of the river, He provided me with my own kayak to get me to the other side. Was I still scared? Yes, especially when I met up with the last rapid, but I powered through it with the Lord’s help. Eventually, my trip down the river came to an end.  I landed my kayak on a soft sandy beach and hobbled to shore. I had made it.

Encouragement

There will be times we find ourselves thrust into situations whether of our own doing, encouraged by others, or we just find ourselves there.  These times may leave us banged up and bruised, but God provides ways to get us through. My kayaking adventure left me with a sprained left foot and a shattered bone in my right foot, but God made a way for me to make it to dry land. All of life is an adventure, some adventures are scarier than others. Sometimes they leave scars, but when we have our life vest aka The Lord with us, we know we are in good hands. He is our ever-present help (Ps. 46:1). We can rest in this assurance, “He will never leave us nor forsake us” (Deut. 31:8)

So, make sure you have your life vest on, and the next time life throws you into the rapids, call on the Lord, rest in Him, and be on the lookout for your kayak because He’ll always provide a way through. God is our rescuer.

How has God rescued you from turbulent waters in your life? Share with me in the comments below.

Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.

Challenge

Be still and spend time with the Lord. Tell him you are letting go of that situation that burdens you and that you’ll allow Him to work it out. Then keep watch and write down ways you see Him moving in that situation.

Know that God is our Rescuer