A boat full of water!

Is your boat full of water?

Recently there have been days that I have felt like my “boat” is filling up with water. When I look at our situation from a worldly view I find that is when I panic and allow my heart to fill with fear. It seems that when I panic, more water comes into my boat. Even when others tend to panic for us it seems that water tends to get in our boat too. There are times (for all of us) when life is just too much to handle! There is just too much water coming into the boat and all the bailing in the world doesn’t seem to help. Drowning seems certain; all hope seems gone.

   Life is always getting us wet in one way or another.  Life is tough especially when the storm is filling your boat full of water and it seems that there is no escape! How can we prevent life’s storms from overwhelming us with water? Often we don't have a choice but we could try to staying out of the boat or even stay tied to the dock  the safest choice. But to do that would be to choose not to live out of fear of what could happen.  Living a life of fear is no way to live. When we give in and continue to live our lives in fear, the water just keep filling the boat even when we think we are playing it safe tied to the dock!

When we first found ourselves in this "boat" I did a lot of panicking. Then God kept telling me time and time again that I don't need to be afraid of what life holds before us. “Be still, and know that I am God” He tells us in Psalm 46:10. We can run to Him, talk to Him, read His word looking for help. He tells us to do these things because He promises to be there for us. He tells us He is ready to help when we come to Him. When we look to and focus on Him and not the storms that surround us, there is nothing that can cause our hearts to fear. Nothing! He tells us in Psalms 46 that He is our refuge, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we should not fear. He doesn’t say that we won’t get wet, but that he will keep us safe in His arms. Trembling in fear isn’t what He wants us to do. “The Lord is mightier than the noise of rushing waters. He is mightier than the waves of the sea.” Psalm 93:11.  Next time I begin to see my boat filling up with water from the surrounding storm, won’t panic in fear. I will run to Him instead. He is a safe place, present with me all the time to help in times of trouble. He is ready and waiting for me to come and trust in Him to save me. I will trust Him with the water in my boat today. How about you?

Scripture reading: Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11; 93:3-4