The Hand of God
Little by little I was getting closer and closer to the beach. I finally reached a point where my head was above water, but I could still feel the hand on my back firmly pushing forward. Finally I was safe!Just then, a jeep with life guards arrived. They jumped into the surf with red life buoys. Too late! I was already safe.
One life guard was very angry at me for swimming at this part of the beach. He said, "Don't you know that this is where the riptide is? Two surfers lost their lives in it last year?"
I assured them that I would not be doing any more swimming here, and that I would go turn the heat on in the truck to warm up.
Every step I made took an enormous amount of energy! I thought I would never make it all the way up to the truck. My legs felt as weak and shaky as a newborn baby. The heavy feeling of sadness was still washing over my mind and spirit. Even though I knew God had saved me from death.
I slowly climbed back into my truck and took a deep sigh of relief. I caught my face in my side mirror. My skin had blue and purple blotches all over it. My lips were blue! I examined my arms and legs; they were the same shades of blue and purple.
I began to cry again. Robert was sawing Z's. He didn't even wake when I boarded the truck.
The Word of God
I picked up my Bible and opened it. My eye's fell on this Word from Isaiah 43:1-19, and I have never been the same since. Neither have I been troubled by the dark depression. Nor have I ever questioned God's love and forgiveness for me:But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
I could see Jesus hanging on the cross!
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
Again, I could see Jesus hanging on the cross!
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
who have ears but are deaf.
I knew right then that God was calling me to do his work! That he had a plan and purpose just for me!
All the nations gather together
and the peoples assemble.
Which of them foretold this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, "It is true."
"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.
I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.
I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.
Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?"
And then these words jumped off the pages as I read...
I am the LORD, your Holy One,
Israel's Creator, your King."
This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. (NIV)
Oh, how I felt the presence of the Lord, God Almighty sweep over my body, soul and spirit! I knew that I knew, that I knew, he was speaking directly to me from his holy Word. He filled me with hope that my lost, suffering, drug-addicted children would be saved. He filled me with peace, that I was forgiven and that he dearly loved me unconditionally.
I now knew he had always loved me. I was his and he was mine, all along. It was not God who had moved away from me, it was I who had moved away from God.
I am now close to God and I am never going away from him again.
I went back to Mission Beach a couple of weeks after my experience and talked to a life guard. He told me that a riptide is very much like a river within the floor of the ocean. It is a deep trench that water pours into as it swiftly flows back out to sea. He said that I am very lucky to be alive.
I know I am blessed to be alive. Luck had nothing to do with it.
God had everything to do with it!
