Caught in a Whirlpool

Have you ever felt as though you were in a whirlpool of activity, a whirlpool that was sucking you down, down, down? Or perhaps it was more like you were being carried downstream in a rush of responsibilities over which you had no control, unable to fight the currents that were swiftly carrying you toward the falls and eventually plunging you to self-destruction?

I have. During those times, I continue to read and study my Bible. I even have prayer times, albeit rushed or while lying sleeplessly in my bed at night.  Recently, when panic won out over sleeplessness, I left my husband snoring away on his side of the bed and escaped to the other end of the house, where I cried out to God for His peace in the midst of it all.

Remembering a verse I memorized a long time ago—"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you"—I opened my Bible to Psalm 116:1-9:

 I love the Lord, for he heard  my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the Lord: "O Lord, save me!"

The Lord is gracious and righteous; 

our God is full of compassion.

The Lord protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the Lord has been good to you.

For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

And my heart began to "be at rest once more" as I read those great words of comfort.

But I needed more and found it in Isaiah 41:9b-10:    "I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand".

Skipping down to verse 13, I read: "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

I have God’s promises to strengthen me, to uphold me, to help me! I also have a history with God that shows I can trust Him.

Yet it seems that only when “I am overcome by trouble and sorrow”— or circumstances beyond my control—do I call or cry on the name of the Lord. Why don’t I sense this desperate need even when things are going well? Truth be told, I need God all the time.

"For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). Yes, He understands my weakness, but that doesn’t mean He condones it.  Instead, Jesus urged His disciples, who continued to fall asleep when they were supposed to be praying, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26, 41).

Hmmm. "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation..."  I think that includes the temptation to worry or panic over my all that lays before me.

Jesus also said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).

So what is next? Or, as the psalmist asked, "How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?" (Psalm 116:12). He then answers his own question, saying, "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.... I will sacrifice a thank offering... I will fulfill my vows to the Lord." He took his eyes off himself, choosing instead to focus on the Lord. Actually, the phrase, "I will" makes me think this was more than just a choice—it was a determination.

I, too, can choose to remember that God will strengthen, uphold and help me. I can determine not to focus on those things keeping me from those activities I love. I can choose to rest instead on my God who is able!

Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the Lord has been good to you.

[Scriptures in this post are from the New International Version,

Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society]