He sent from on high, he took me;
Psalm 18:17-20
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
There have been two situations recently in which I have had to “rescue” my children. Neither were actually in serious danger, but they both believed they were. It reminds me of the ways in which God rescues me, over and over again.
One of our favorite parks has a steep dirt slope behind it, and there are a few trees dotting the slope. The loose dirt, combined with our dry season, makes the hill slippery to try to walk across. All three kids managed to get to one of the trees, and the older two could easily make their way back up to the path, mostly by pushing off the tree and sprinting the distance. Fin, however, was too scared of the slippery dirt to make any effort to dart up the hill. They tried to help him, hold him, and show him how, but I was the only person he wanted to see.
Now, I had never climbed the slope myself, so when Ana Lia told me that Fin was stuck in a tree, I started heading that direction in my bare feet and quickly realized how slippery the slope was. I was grasping trees and roots to brace myself against sliding all the way down. When I got the tree where Fin was sitting in a terrified little ball, I sat with him for a moment to calm him down. I could feel his whole body relax the instant he crawled in my lap. His breathing slowed, and his crying stopped. He felt safe just because he was sitting in my lap. I gave him a minute to recover and then reached for a tree several feet away, closer to the path. I held his hand as we made our way to safety.
Fin was never in danger, and it’s likely his sister could have helped him to the path as easily as I did. But he wanted to be close to his Mama.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Psalm 107:19
The next instance, which happened the same week, was far more frightening, at least for Afa and I because it could have ended so much worse than it did. I was doing a long run on Saturday morning, which I almost always finish before anyone wakes up. In order to stay relatively close to the house, my route weaves in and out of my neighborhood, and I pass our house at a few points. Eliam was awake unusually early, saw me run past the house, and decided he wanted to go on a run with me.
He climbed out of his top bunk wearing only a pair of shorts, put on his shoes and a hat, and went out the front door to follow me. At this point, I was long gone. It never occurred to me that any of the kids might follow me. I have been running by the house four times a week for months, and they aren’t even awake to see me run. So Eliam started running in the direction he saw me go, and ran a few blocks then realized he was lost…and cold…and alone. He melted down at an intersection.
Because my route weaves back and forth, I run in the direction of my house repeatedly, which I was eternally grateful for on that morning. I started running right back to the intersection Eliam found himself at. As I got closer, I heard a child crying and thought it sounded like one of my kids, but I was so confused. I couldn’t come up with any scenario in my head in which Afa would have the kids outside at 7am on a cold and windy morning. Whether it was my child or not, it was very strange for any kid to be out at that time, so I ran toward the sound. When I saw Eliam, I started to panic. What in the world was he doing outside? Where was Afa? Why didn’t he have a shirt or a jacket on??
I finally reached him and asked him why he was outside, and he said “I wanted to go on a run with you.” All the pieces started to fit together in my head as to what had happened. I knelt down and hugged him tight, all the worst case scenarios running through my head. The moment I enveloped him, he had the same instant release of pressure that Finiasi had earlier in the week. Mama was there, and everything was going to be ok. We quickly walked home, got him wrapped in a blanket, and read stories together for the next hour until everyone else woke up. I was crying during most of the stories because I was so scared at what might have happened, but Eliam wasn’t even upset anymore. He felt completely safe.
I remember having my quiet time the day after I found Eliam outside. My overwhelming thought was that in these moments on my couch with my Bible and my laptop should engender the same reaction from me that my sons had when I held them in their most fearful moments. Even if my life feels like chaos, I can rest in the fact that God is the God who saves, Yeshua, Jesus. He sacrificed His life for my eternal salvation, but He also saves me from the fear, anxiety, and emotions that can easily crowd out my sense of safety and security. In these quiet times in the dark of the morning, when it is only He and I, I can reclaim my peace and safety that God has an incredible plan even if I do not understand it.
Then I remember that God will not necessarily save me from my circumstances, but He will hold me close during those trials. (Example is here). I can find security in the Word of God in the same way children find security in the arms of their parents. If you are overwhelmed or anxious and feel like there is no way to get your head above water, spend some time resting in the arms of God. If you don’t know what to read, there are some suggestions here. You can pray your way through the Psalms. Turn on some worship music and journal your circumstances or emotions. Sing to the Lord a new song.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Remember that God is a loving Father who rescues us, even when it means not changing the external environment. He rescues our hearts and gives us a place of safety – when we are willing to come to Him.
