Have you been raised up from a deep dark place or a turbulent storm that nearly swept you away?
I love listening to Josh Grobin sing, “You Raise Me Up.”
The lyrics say,
“You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains.
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas.
I am strong when I am on your shoulders.
You raise me up to more than I can be.”
This song was one of my favorites years ago. I certainly needed to be raised up! I was struggling in a stormy sea, and it seemed like I was going under for the last time, but God raised me up.
I can see now as I reflect on that time that it was the hand of God lifting me up and out of the storm I was in for many years.
God rescued me first and then began the work of redeeming me.
After my rescue, it took me a while to catch my breath and feel fully alive again. I remember telling Jonas that I felt like I was clinging on to a cliff with only my fingers, and I couldn’t hold on.
Falling into the abyss of darkness seemed to be imminent. That’s when God rescued me.
I was ready to be loved and cared for after all my crying, pouting, anger, sin, pain, blame, and shame. I completely depleted my energy! There was nothing left but the shell of my body and toxic negative lies that left me hopeless.
God began applying his healing salve to all the bruises, scrapes, and wounds.
His message to me during that time was, “Yes, you’re a mess, but I raised you up to share a message.”
I’m still astounded about my rescue!
I recently read my journals from that period in my life, and it reminds me that I am more than I ever thought I could be.
Do you need to be rescued, lifted up, or given a second chance?
What have you experienced that has taken you to a place of confusion, darkness, and hopelessness?
You may not know how you ended up where you are, and it might look like the storm has nearly destroyed all hope for your rescue. If you take the time to reflect and retrace your choices, it may give you a clue about how you ended up where you are.
In my past, I would reflect on my choices and would always remember where it started to go wrong for me. First, it was the death of my daughter Angie and then the sexual abuse I experienced shortly after.
I knew where it started but didn’t know how to go back and unravel the web I was in.
We can NEVER go back, but we can ALWAYS start where we are and begin making choices that will change tomorrow.
When I understood I could change my tomorrow, I began to hope again.
God rescued me and then gave me hope for my future. Hope gave me the courage to begin making good choices.
When you are rescued, you never forget the one who has saved you.
Many years ago, I was tubing with Jonas and our cousins when all of a sudden, we got to a bend in the river where there were lots of rapids.
I was not able to make the turn and found myself in the middle of the wild rapids, with even greater ones approaching fast. I was scared to death.
Just when I thought I was going through the roughest of the rapids, I noticed a tree limb out across the river hanging very low. So I reached up to grab it, and when I did my tube floated on down the river!
So there I was in the middle of the rapids holding on for my life.
Our fearless leader had taken up the rear of our group and paddled furiously to get me when he saw what happened. I saw him coming to my rescue and held on as best I could.
When he was right under me, I let go of the limb and fell into his tube.
The rescue was successful, but the weight of the two of us pushed the tube down, and only our heads were above water. In the end, I was rescued from what could’ve been a serious disaster.
You too might be hanging onto something that will keep you above water for a while, but eventually, your strength will fail.
You need someone to help you.
It may not feel like it, but let me encourage you and say, help is on the way!
