Life On the River by Judy Hensley
If you happened to have spent much time in church, you may be familiar with the song called “Love Lifted Me” . ….the lyrics start out saying: “I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, seeking to rise no more…but the Master of the Sea heard my despairing cry, and from the water lifted me… now safe am I! Love lifted me, love lifted me….when nothing else could help….Love …Lifted……Me!”
Just a few mornings ago I was contemplating some of the recent circumstances in my life, and thought about how life is like riding in a raft on a river and then the song above popped in my brain as well. We carry on most days riding easily on the ebb and flow of the water as we try to stay adrift in this journey called life or our destination may be just to reach a peaceful shore. Some days life is like floating in a raft that is right in the middle of a raging, mighty river. On other days we can drift along easily and be able to manipulate the raft to the shore, or we may encounter raging rapids that threatened to overwhelm our raft and threaten the completion of our journey. We know not what is beyond each turn in the river.
If you are a wise raft guide, you will have learned from navigating previous rapids and by watching others as they go before and experience the swift and changing water. You might even become confident and brag to others passing by how well you did going down some heavy and swift waters. You might be stronger from previous runs in the river where the going was rough but you made it through. You might even believe you can make it through anything alone.
But then you find yourself heading into the same turbulence you saw others in and thought to yourself “I ‘ll be able to handle that rough water without help from anyone else!” Isn’t it amazing how different it looks like from the shore than when you are surrounded by whitecaps???? You learn what life has in store for you might be overwhelming and that your raft is not as big and stable as you’d hoped it would be.
You learn how strong you need to be and just how weak you can be at times on the river of life. Paddling becomes more efficient with prayer and guidance from the One who made the river and who knows what is in store for us around each bend. He offers safety, security, and love on the appointed shore for us. He may place someone on the shore or even in our raft to encourage us to not give up; to paddler harder; and when your own strength is gone, He will lovingly provide His own to you.
He can do these things because He made the river, He intends for you to grow stronger from your journey, and He promises to never leave you if you’ll just turn over the rudder to Him. He knows your every circumstance; He smiles at your dreams; He shares your pain; He promises to always be a faithful guide; He will provide strength when you are weak; and He promises a most peaceful shore to finally arrive at some day! He gives you HOPE to carry on!
All this is available to me, to you, to anyone who believes that the Master of Creation is in control of our journey, and wants to see us face to face on the final shore where He can say “Well done…come rest, feast, sing and find peace in this place I have made especially for those who have put their trust in Me.” Then maybe, just maybe…we’ll start to know what these rapids on this journey are for….we’ll realize just how sweet the journey was…and we’ll comprehend a little more of how much His love can lift us and bring us through the roughest , the deepest, and the most difficult circumstance or rapids we are going through.
So when you feel you are ‘sinking’ and you feel you won’t ‘rise again’… know that he will hear your ‘despairing cry’ …and His love will lift you up and guide you on to the peaceful shore!
Next time you head out on the water….don’t forget your life jacket and paddle (His WORD and your direct line to Him—prayer). Push off toward the peaceful shore and while you paddle along, hum, whistle or sing a song of thanks. And keep hold of this faithful reminder: “when nothing else will help….Love (it will have) lifted me!”
See ya on the river!
Love,
Judy
