There are times in life when I have felt under water. Life gets overwhelming. I face difficult decisions. The schedule is over full and there is no time to rest. I am left struggling to come up for air.

I was white water rafting on vacation with the family when this all came literally into perspective. It was a very cold river with class III and IV rapids and a waterfall at the end. The guide had us sit on the edge of the raft to make paddling easier and lean into the raft when we hit the rapids. It was a little unnerving at first as I fought gravity to keep myself inside the raft. Eventually, I started to get used to it.

We hit a large rapid that lifted up the other side of raft so much that my husband was above me. I no more than noticed him when I found myself under water. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to react. As water was going up my nose, I was thinking this is not good; I need air. Then I heard the voice of our guide, “I got you. I got you.”

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life! (Proverbs 3: 5-8 MSG).

That is exactly what God says to us when we are under water. The path doesn’t always make sense to us. It doesn’t always feel like the right direction, but it always gets me to the right place. I know what to put down and what to pick up. I find a new sense of peace and keep swimming. God is always there saying, “I got you.” That is a promise that is always kept.

Do you trust God to have you when you are under water? Do you lean on that promise? Share your story hear and breathe life and bring hope to others.