HELP ME I'M DROWNING!

Last week we heard from God that we need to resist the temptation to just work harder and strive to be better by just burning up all our own energy.  Rather we need to raise our sails into the winds of God, seek His path not ours and be catapulted by His power and not our own.  I’ve got a bit of a summertime nautical theme going, so let me use a related image to tell the next part of the story.  

You might be saying, “Pastor, what are you talking about powerboats or sailboats?”  I’m tossed overboard in life and treading water.  I’ve been swimming in the river of life for a number of years and making minimal headway.  The currents of this culture are strong and every once in a while I get swept away by one of them.  

Even when you recover briefly, then comes a deluge of small disasters and the current becomes more that you can handle.  You grow weary and try just floating along but it just drags you downstream.  You stoke and stroke but your arms feel like lead sinkers and so you conclude you should just give into the river.  Now all you can think to cry out is “Help Me I’m Drowning”.

Actually this story is more common than you might think.  People who are struggling in a relationship to survive and then tragedy in some form hits and they feel like all is lost.  People who are just squeaking by financially and then comes this extremely difficult economic mess we are in and hope seems out of reach.  Folks, who are uninsured or underinsured trying to dodge the next calamity and along comes a visit to the ER and they get completely swamped.

What can be done in these terrible circumstances?  What hope can be found when all seems hopeless?  Jesus said we would be able to turn to Him in the midst of our mess.  He told us that He had a source of comfort that ministered to the broken while they were confronted with their pain.  It wasn’t a promise of pain free living or effortless swimming.  The river would still have its current and the floods would still come but Jesus said He would be in the storm with us.  The important thing I want you to hear today is that the solution is often found outside of us.

(Proverbs 13:10)  Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

I recently had two emissaries of God speaking into my life regarding this truth.  They didn’t know I was going to teach on this subject on July 26th.  They really only had a small window into what was going on in my head but God knows all.

The first was my son, Seth, who had a bad experience a couple of weeks ago.  He’s an extreme skier and he was in Canada skiing with some of the world’s best skiers.  They were Olympic and professional experts.  At the conclusion of his ski outing, just as he was about to approach the ski lift for the last run, on flat terrain, his knee gave out and he fell to the ground.  It should be noted that he skis with braces on both knees as he has had both knees snap an ACL in the past.  I know, we ask the same question, why ski?  I’ll let Seth answer that.

Seth was devastated and rifled off a text for me to pray immediately.  He was facing some huge waves and feeling like he was drowning.  It really was like going down for the third time.  He was desperate.  He was out of his own ability and needed someone to come alongside him.

Several days later I was sharing with him a personal challenge of my own.  I felt I had missed God’s plan on a personal decision and was lamenting a bit about the feeling of vulnerability when all of a sudden my own son spoke back to me a word I have shared with he and many others in my years as a pastor.  He said: “Dad, don’t forget that Jesus is asleep in your boat.”  My son was now reminding me of what God had asked me to teach others for many years.

This truth comes from the biblical account of the disciples crossing the sea when a gale forced storm hit them.  Though they were skilled fisherman they feared for their lives.  Right in the middle of this story the Bible says that Jesus was so relaxed, so confidant in His father’s protection that He fell asleep on a boat cushion.  The disciples had forgotten that they had God himself in the boat with them and He wasn’t worried or restless.  God wasn’t troubled by the waves or the wind and they should have identified that.  They were not alone.

(Mark 4:35-41) That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

You see, sometimes we can’t save ourselves from the waves.  Sometimes we need someone who stands outside our circumstances and can see the bigger picture.  We draw from their confidence or their faith.  They toss us a life preserver and we can regain the proper focus.

(Ecclesiastes 4:9)  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

My other emissary was a woman who was a hesitant servant of God.  She sat out in her car for several minutes weighing the assignment to speak to the pastor or not about what God had put on her heart for him.  I was minding my own business in my office waiting for an appointment to arrive and this messenger of God stepped in and asked if she could share a verse she felt God wanted me to hear.

(Galatians 6:9)  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

At that moment I was thrown the life preserver of the wisdom of God’s word.  Someone outside my circumstances had shared with me God’s advice and brought me to safety.

(Proverbs 28:26)  He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

Let’s get really practical.  You may have seen the recent article in the local paper about three individuals who are providing a form of counseling using the faith in their personal lives and as part of their practice and are considered friends of CFC.  

Wes Lund of Lund Counseling Services has visited CFC several times and Pam Schmitt of Faith Family Recovery is closely associated with Deb Hines and our Celebrate Recovery ministry at CFC.  This morning I’ve asked Robin Ricard to join me on the platform to give you a real face of a real person who helps people who are treading water and even drowning.

Robin Ricard of Selah Counseling
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
    Robin would you describe what you do as a therapist?
    Should people wait until they are going down for the 3rd time before they call for help?
    Is getting help a sign of weakness?

So the point is that when you feel you are drowning you need to ask for someone to throw you a life preserver.  It might be a mature friend, a trusted spiritual leader, a pastor, a wise parent or a professional counselor.  The point is that we should see that asking for help is a godly choice that all of us should choose.

(Proverbs 16:16)  How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!

(Proverbs 11:14)  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

(Proverbs 15:22)  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.

The above notes are from Pastor Pasch’s July 27, 2009 message.  To get a free CD of the complete message, contact Christ’s Family Church @ 651-437-2340.