The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the Lord , at the blast of breath from his nostrils.   “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.   He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.   They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.   He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. – 2 Samuel 22:16-20

David was pulled from deep waters – the rip currents and raging torrents, much of which was David’s own creation. I love the imagery of God reaching down into the swirling waves and destructive torrents to save David –not just from his earthly enemies but from his sins as well. This is precisely what God did, and still does, through Jesus. He reaches into the mire of our messy lives and draws us into Himself….a truly spacious place.

David describes God taking hold of him and drawing him out of deep water. There is a desperation that sets in when a person is drowning. This desperation can be so strong sometimes that the rescuer can be pulled under if they are not careful. I think David feels desperate about his life and the wreckage of previous choices he has made. I suspect deep in David’s soul he does not think he deserves rescuing, but God loves him despite his many flaws and rescues him anyway.

God rescues David from his “powerful enemies and foes that were too strong”.  Is it possible that David is referring to something more than earthly enemies and armies?  I wonder if one of David’s foes was actually himself.  David made poor choices in his early life that have resulted in an incredibly dysfunctional family.  Those poor choices have swirled around him like waves of death.

This verse is reassuring for all of us flawed followers of God.  God reaches down to us while we are still broken and helps us to heal.  God does not require David to get his life straightened out before He reaches down to save him. God does not heal our broken souls so we can enter his kingdom, but rather as a consequence of doing so.  We must decide to faithfully follow God even before we can clearly see Who we are following.

The beginning of the verse is also interesting.  “The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare”.  There is a sense that nothing will be hidden when God shows up.  We do not need to cover our sin in His presence.  He already knows us better than we know ourselves…and He loves us anyway.  God believes in us!

Prayer: Thank you for believing in us God…even when we do not believe in ourselves.

SDG