For many of us, 2022 was a rough year, a sort of climax of the previous two years with the pandemic and everything. What often accompanies that is a feeling of uncertainty about the future, and it is only natural to feel that way. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to do an end-of-year devotional reflection on that to help others if possible.
The Bible, as far as I have seen, does not really address an allegory of rapids, but it does talk a lot about stormy seas, and the same idea is conveyed. Isaiah 43:2, for instance, says "When you face stormy seas I will be there with you with endurance and calm; you will not be engulfed in raging rivers." A raging river and a turbulent sea represent the same allegory - the storms we face in life. In the case of a raging river though, there may not be a storm, but rather some treacherous rapids and waterfalls to navigate, and that requires a lot of quick thinking. Using this verse, I want to talk a little about that.
The above picture is of Blackwater Falls, which is about 14 miles northeast of my hometown in West Virginia. It is a local tourist attraction, and it is beautiful to look at from a distance. But, trying to take a boat over those falls would be an act of suicidal stupidity, in that the rocks in that river would break every bone in someone's body if they fell - the likelihood of surviving such an accident would be very low. As water approaches a waterfall like Blackwater Falls, it creates eddies and rapids that can cause a navigator to lose control of a small boat easily, and thus one is at the mercy of the falls. However, if one is skilled enough to do it, there is a way to circumvent the danger, and that is by navigating to a nearby riverbank or looking for a channel to navigate in before approaching dangerous currents that would sweep a boat right over those falls. A channel could be a small creek that flows into the river and would be possibly a detour around the more turbulent waters of the falls, and although the boat may not fit into such a small stream, it would provide a way to descend the elevation the falls flow off of and it would save lives. It would take somewhat more effort obviously, but it could be done. There is a very rich lesson in this for us if we know how to see it, especially when we are going through turbulent circumstances in our own lives.
One important aspect of being able to navigate turbulent waters is to have an experienced person who knows how to find the safe channels and steer out of the currents so we don't get swept over the falls. As noted in Isaiah 43:2 as shown above, we have that as faithful followers of Christ - we have Christ Himself to guide us. As a matter of fact, guidance is one of three promises of favor that God gives us in Scripture, and those are as listed:
1. Provision (Philippians 4:19)
2. Protection (Ephesians 6, James 4:7, Psalm 91:4-5)
3. Guidance (Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5-6)
One huge problem is time - God transcends time and space, but we are confined to it. So, when a bill comes due and money is short, we don't have the luxury of time to pay when we feel like it. And, if you tell your creditors that you are "waiting on the Lord" to give you the money, they will probably recommend you for the loony bin! That is an example of turbulent waters, and at that point is when we really need God to navigate us so we don't go over the waterfall. And, that can be scary! God has the tendency of waiting until the last minute sometimes to give us breakthroughs, and that can be emotionally taxing. But, as he said in Romans 8:28, God works all things together for good, and that warrants trust in his judgment. In reality, that is easier said than done, but I have learned there are two important lessons in this we need to apply in order to make it easier:
1. Stay focused on what your current responsibilities are.
2. As God has brought you this far, it is only fitting to trust him in this too.
A second issue I have faced is trying to actually hear God's voice. In times of adversity and challenges, a lot is going on in our heads, and clarity is important to navigate properly. But, the dilemma is this - God is often a "still small voice," (I Kings 19:11) but he is also not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33). The challenge I have faced in my own experience is trying to reconcile those two things, and that can be tough! In many situations, there is no room for error or bad judgment, so you face the dilemma of which "voice" is the voice of God, and how do you get him to turn up the volume so you don't miss it? In that, we then start to ask for certain things, such as some sign God is hearing us or that he is giving us clearer direction. This takes a number of forms, such as the example of Gideon with the fleece, or seeing some proof that God is in the situation, much like St. Thomas needed at the Lord's resurrection. I cannot say whether doing that is right or wrong, because I have done my own seeking like that too, but sometimes it is what we have to work with, and therefore I think God will understand that we are trying to do the right thing. And, in many cases, he has actually answered me with the direction I needed in that way. And, there are other times where you will get angry and impatient with God - I can testify for a fact that I have had more than one heated exchange with our Lord over things when I just got to the end of my proverbial rope. Of course, you do feel bad about it later and if you are consistent in your faith, you will repent of that and I believe God is big enough to handle that - he knows human limitations too and I do not believe he faults us for those even if we can end up being really nasty with him (and I am not too proud to say I have been there too!). The good thing is that we are not alone - remember Jacob in Genesis 32:22-32? Jacob had to wrestle with God to get the blessing he needed, and some of us have been there too. The thing that actually sets the Bible apart from other religious texts is its divine authorship, and the fact that part of that is that often the heroes are shown as pure human beings with normal emotions and limitations - there are no "super-beings" in Scripture outside of Jesus Christ, and Scripture is written in that way to show us that we are not alone. So, the ultimate gift of guidance is the Scriptures themselves, but sometimes we just need a little more personal guidance that relates specifically to our own circumstances, and God knows that too.
Navigating rough water requires God's guidance - we need to look to him as our Navigator to steer us into a safe channel to avoid the waterfall, and if we do so, he will be faithful to take care of us and our needs. Guidance is the foremost need we all truly possess, and in the lesson of the boat on the rough river approaching a waterfall, we learn we have no choice but to rely on God's guidance. May we always see God as our Navigator, and also listen for clarity of his voice. Thank you, and have a blessed holiday season.
