Donn and I spent a lot of time in the Lazy River at an indoor water park a few years ago. Eventually it occurred to me that our experience with this Lazy River ride was a lot like life. One minute we were floating along, relaxing without a care in the world, enjoying the experience. The next minute we were battling to avoid going  through the tunnel where we would be drenched, and then trying valiantly to get past the spot where we were repeatedly becalmed.

In a similar way, seldom do we have any warning in life that we’re about to encounter a battle that will rock us to the core and make our carefree life a distant memory. Last week we received a prayer request for the husband of one of the young women who was in my Apples of Gold group ten years ago. He’s been diagnosed with an aggressive stage 4 inoperable brain tumor. They have three children. Until a few days earlier, there was no indication that he wasn’t completely healthy.

Many of us have been told that medical tests revealed cancer in us or one of our loved ones or that someone we love has died or been injured in an accident. Sometimes the crisis involves discovering that a husband or wife has been unfaithful to us or to a loved one. Regardless of the source of the bad news, there is seldom any warning, and we often find ourselves unprepared for the deluge of fear and emotion that accompanies the news.

Psalm 107 was one of my mother’s favorite chapters of the Bible. Possibly because she was the go-to person for many in our community when they found themselves in desperate situations. This chapter tells us that no matter what kind of trouble people found themselves in, whether of their own doing or through no fault of their own, when they “cried out to the Lord in their trouble, He delivered them from their distress.” This scenario is repeated four times: verses 4-9, 10-16, 17-22, and 23-32. Sometimes it was necessary for God to mete out discipline before they were willing to cry out to Him.

My mother’s favorite verses in this chapter were verses 29-30. “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” When I read these verses to her, she would invariably take a deep breath and let it out in a long, “Ah….!” That was the desire of her heart for those who came to her for prayer.

Another part of our Lazy River experience that seemed to parallel life was the patient lifeguard who came to our rescue again and again. He watched for us and repeatedly threw out a “lifeline” that we could grab hold of to help us regain momentum and get through the rough spot. He never acted annoyed or impatient no matter how many times He’d rescued us before. I realized how like the Lord he was in that respect. When we need to be rescued many times, we often become embarrassed to ask for help─again! However, our Heavenly Father is infinitely patient when we are flailing about ineffectually. Psalm 103:14 says He remembers that we are dust.

As I think of our patient lifeguard at the water park, I realize that each time we struggled, we always had a choice whether or not to accept his help. We could have chosen to go on struggling alone. The same is true in life. I wonder how often we fight on alone when God is stretching out a “rescue device” to bring us to a desired haven. The choice of whether or not to accept His help is always ours.

 Father, forgive us when we choose self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and independence instead of crying out to you in our distress so that you can rescue us. Help us learn to cry out to you as our first option. Amen.

(The pictures of the Lazy River are random ones from the Internet, not pictures of the one described.)

*Once again I am using this blog as my Flashback Friday post because it is so relevant to our current situation and because I haven’t had time to do any blogging lately. Some of you know that our son, Robb, one of the healthiest people we knew, is in Cleveland Clinic and has been diagnosed with stomach cancer.  Other than the symptoms which began a few months ago, it came “without warning.”  We covet your prayers for our son and his family, as well as for us, as we cling to the Rock in the midst of this storm.