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In the previous post, I shared the third chapter in my ebook entitled From Captive to Conqueror. In that chapter, we saw a struggler floundering hopelessly in stormy seas, unable to make it to safety. Sometimes we face situations in our own lives that feel hopeless, even when our feet are solidly on dry ground. Thankfully, we do not need to remain in a state of hopelessness. When we reach the point where we realize our own helplessness, there is only one thing to do. Cry out for help. That is what God is waiting for.

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A Cry for Help

 In my distress I called to the LORD;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

(2 Samuel 22:7)

At the end of the last chapter we left the struggling sailor floundering about, trying to stay afloat in heavy seas.  Waves pound him mercilessly, crashing over his head.  The rigging of his boat has coiled around him making it nearly impossible to move, let alone swim.  What a picture of desperation!  What a scene of hopelessness!  We have probably all been there in one way or another at some point in our lives; perhaps even right now.

Consider for a moment.  What is God doing while all this is going on?  Let’s use a bit of “sanctified imagination”. 

Look.  There is God, seated in His holy temple in heaven watching the life and death drama being played out below as the struggler tries desperately to save himself.  The angels and those who have gone to heaven ahead of us - that “great cloud of witnesses”- are all standing around watching the scene. 

Listen.  One angel whispers to another, “Why does God just sit there?  Isn’t He going to help?” 

Another watcher says, “It’s obvious this poor struggler can’t hang on much longer.  What is God waiting for?”

Learn.  Hearing the whispered comments, God gently answers.  “As long as he is determined to struggle on his own, I’ll let him.  I am waiting for him to call out and ask Me for help.”

At long last, the struggler comes to the end of himself and acknowledges his helplessness.

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I called out to my God.

That was all God was waiting for.  The cry of a soul in distress who knows he cannot make it alone.  The cry of a humble heart that knows it has no strength or power to save itself.  That cry, however feeble, is heard in the temple of God.  No matter how weak the call, no matter how long it was in coming, that cry reaches the ears of Almighty God.  That is all that is needed. 

The struggler, whether he is David, or you, or me, does not need to bargain with God, or convince God that he is worth helping.  All he or she needs to do is to cry out.  God hears.  God is ready to answer.  God is ready to ACT!!!!

Questions for Reflection

When you use your imagination, what do you picture God doing when you are in distress?

In your journal, describe what you “see” when you Look, Listen and Learn.

How does it make you feel to know that he hears your cries for help?

When Life Seems Desperate

The post I am sharing today is the third chapter of my ebook entitled From Captive to Conqueror. This series of reflections on 2 Samuel 22 grew out of my own personal experience of being rescued from my own "stormy seas". In the months that followed, 2 Samuel 22 became very precious to me as I saw over and over again a beautiful picture of how God had rescued me, restored me, and was equipping me to be a conqueror.
 
I will share some of these chapters, although not the entire book, in my next several posts. If you would like to purchase the ebook for $0.99 for Kindle or Kindle Readers, click here.
 
Keep in mind that this is just one chapter. Things look pretty desperate in this post. Come back for the next one. I promise, things will start looking up in the next few chapters. If you would like to know the background of my own story that is behind this book, click here for an earlier post called God Captures My Attention.

I hope these gleanings from 2 Samuel 22 will encourage and bless you.

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 In Stormy Seas

"The waves of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

(2 Samuel 22:5,6)

These two verses were the first ones to catch my eye . . . no, to capture my heart.  They clearly described the situation I had lived with for so long.  When I read them now, I think of something that happened to me back in 1990 when I spent a year in Papua New Guinea as a teacher.

Over the Easter holidays, I visited a remote village where the parents of one of my students worked.  In transit to that village, I spent a day or two in the coastal town of Wewak where I joined some of my friends on a trip to the beach.  The waves were breaking near the shore, but out beyond the breaking waves, the water was calm.  I took a boogie board out to the calmer water.  Eventually, I passed the boogie board on to another swimmer.  After a while, I looked around and noticed I was the only person still in the water.  Realizing that it was time to go home, I began to head in.  I used to think that although I am by no means a strong swimmer, I could still swim enough to save my life, if that were ever necessary.  The events of the next few minutes forever cured me of that misplaced confidence.

After trying to swim for a while, I stopped to rest.  Treading water as I looked toward the beach, I noted with dismay that I had made no progress.  I tried again and again, swimming with all my might.  From time to time, I tried to put my feet down to walk in, but there was such a strong current down below that I could feel myself getting dragged back out. In fact, not only was I no nearer to the beach, but I had actually drifted parallel to the beach farther down from where my friends waited.  A growing sense of dread crept over me as I realized my perilous situation.

A large wave picked me up and spun me head over heels in the water.  I had no idea which way was up.  As I am not in the habit of opening my eyes in saltwater, I swam blindly trying to reach the surface, but made no progress.  Just when I was about to lose hope, it was almost as if a voice said to me, “Open your eyes.”  Just that.  I opened them and realized that I was swimming with all my might . . . toward the bottom.  Reversing direction, I swam to the surface, took a great gulp of precious air, and looked over my shoulder . . . just in time to see another wave coming after me.  I was so exhausted that I was sure the next wave would do me in. 

The second wave spun me around again, but this time, I remembered to open my eyes to see which way was up.  It pushed me far enough in that I could put my feet on the bottom without being dragged back out.  Shakily and thankfully, I waded back to the shore.  I gained a great deal of respect for the power of the ocean that day.  I also learned a valuable lesson about how helpless I could be in the face of such power.

With this as a background, perhaps you can imagine why 2 Samuel 22:5, 6 struck me with such power. 

"The waves of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.”

When I read these verses, I picture a person alone out on the ocean in a sailboat.  A storm rages all around him and heavy waves pound the little vessel. Had the rigging been set correctly, perhaps the boat could have weathered the storm.  Unfortunately, the sailor had not set the rigging properly. The sailboat quickly becomes unmanageable, capsizing and tossing the sailor out into the merciless sea.  The ropes and cables that had held up the sails become “cords of the grave” and “snares of death” as they coil around him.  Battered by the waves and entangled in the rigging of his vessel, the sailor struggles to stay afloat, but it is obvious he is losing the battle.  He can’t hang on much longer.

Could I relate? Oh yes.  I could no longer pass these verses off with a casual, “David sure did have problems, didn’t he?”  No, the struggle I was going through at that time fit the description.  Waves of death.  Torrents of destruction.  Cords of the grave.  Snares of death.  I read these words and all I could say was, “That was me.  He’s talking about me.”

Perhaps David was talking about you, too.  Perhaps you are in the middle of some kind of a struggle right now that feels much like this.  If you are, I want to assure you that there is hope, even in the middle of the most hopeless situation.

Questions for Reflection

Does this passage remind you of a season in your life?  If so, describe it in your journal.

What advice would you give to someone in this situation?  Are there any scriptures that come to your mind?

Does this passage describe where you are right now?  If so, in your journal, describe as honestly as you can whatever you are currently struggling with. What is the seemingly hopeless situation you need to be rescued from?