Out of Many Waters

 

Scripture

Psalm 18: 3-6, 16-19
³ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁴ The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
⁵ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears...

¹⁶ He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.  (NKJV)

 

Devotion

Today's reading is a portion of David's song of thanksgiving after God saved him from certain death at the hands of King Saul.  A version of it also appears in 2 Samuel 22, as the narrator reflects back on David's kingship.Throughout the psalm, David uses stunning imagery to describe the danger he was in and the power that God displayed in rescuing David from his foes.  One of my favorite images in the psalm is of God drawing David out of many (or mighty) waters.

To in order to fully appreciate this line, we need to understand what kind of water David means and how the Israelites would have reacted to it. Water is a complex term in Jewish and Christian thought.  Its preciousness in arid climates like Israel and its life-giving properties have led us to associate it with God's nourishing wisdom, love, and forgiveness.  At the same time, water can be dangerous...especially for ancient desert people who were not used to encountering lots of it in one place and who usually did not know how to swim.  The ancient Israelites associated deep water like oceans with danger, chaos, and death.   To find oneself in mighty waters was to face death. 

David's "many waters" in Psalm 18 compare Saul and his army to that second kind of water.  David had faced overwhelming force that was too vast for him to run from, to chaotic for him to fully understand, and too powerful for him to defeat.  And yet just when it seemed like he was about to drown, God plucked him out of the many waters and brought him to a safe place.  And God put on this powerful display simply not because David had said the right words or done exactly the right things...but because God delighted in him.

We may not all fear the sea as David's people did, but we can probably all think of a time when we have found ourselves in a situation that seemed too big, too powerful, and/or too chaotic for us to endure.  It's at those moments that we would do well to remember the story of David.  Even when we feel overwhelmed and all hope seems lost, we can trust that God will bring us to a better place.  God swoops in to save us from all the chaos, anxiety, and danger not because we deserve it...but because God loves and delights in us.  Drawing us out of the many waters that threaten to overtake us and bringing us to broad/secure place is what brings God joy.  

The next time it all feels like too much, I hope you turn to God in prayer and ask for help.  As you do so, may you find comfort in knowing that whatever is happening, God will bring you to a better place.   It may not happen in the way you want.  You may find yourself somewhere very different from where you expected to end up.  But it will be the right place.  The safe and broad place.  And when you are safely arrived at the shore, make sure to take a moment to thank God for saving you from the things that had been too great for your to face on your own. 

 

 

Prayer

Deliver us, o God, from the many waters that surround us...the many anxieties that threaten to consume us...the many dangers that threaten to destroy us.  We lift these things up to you, knowing that you will save us from our distress and bring us to a safer place.  Amen.