Deep Waters - Isaiah 42:8

Isaiah 48:2

When you go through deep waters I will be with you.

God created the ocean to be a source of life for us. The ocean has many of the nutrients we, as humans, need to live, like water, food, and natural resources. The ocean is important, but scary at the same time. Even though this verse is not about the ocean or nature, but about our faith and trust in God, the ocean is a wonderful metaphor of fear that we can all relate to.

Everyday we fear something. We have tests, meetings, doctors appointments, and many other stressors that make us fear the outcome. If I fail this test I will not get into graduate school. The doctor may tell me that I am sick. I may lose a loved one. These are fears we have everyday. These are the deep waters we have to swim through.  

The ocean can be a resource. Our stressors can be beneficial to us, help achieve our goals, and keep us working, but when those stressors overwhelm us we begin sinking. The waters can become too deep for us to stand and we start to stress even more. In these situations we need a life raft, we need a savior.

God is there to pull us out of the deep, troubling waters and save us. In his prophecies, Isaiah explains to us that God will be with us through the troubling times when we are sinking and falling away from our faith. God wants to help us! God wants to save us! We know that there will be stressors in our lives, so we need to prepare for those times.

When I stress, I stress. People may not know I am stressed, but on the inside I am freaking out. Pulling my Bible and Rosary out are two of the best ways to de-stress. I go straight to my Lord and beg in prayer for my stress to go away. I try not ask for God to solve it, instead I beg for strength to find the answer. I know God could snap His fingers and make everything alright, but I would not learn the lesson He wants me to learn. I need to trust in God and know that He will be with me through my struggles.

Thought Questions:

How can I prepare for stressors and be ready to fight them with God’s strength?

What are some ways that I de-stress?

How can I help others de-stress and be a motivator?