Today’s Bread ~ The Pool

1 Samuel 27:1 – But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me.  The best thing for me to do is escape to the Philistines.  Then Saul will stop hunting for me, and I will finally be safe.”

I had quite an experience the other day.  Caitlyn, Nick and I were at a mutual play-date.  By mutual I mean that mommy got to play, too.  A dear girlfriend of mine has a daughter Caitlyn’s age, and while they play, we Bible-study.

This particular day the kids were happily splashing and squealing in the pool.  With Bibles open and one eye on the water, we dove into Scripture.

My daughter can swim the length of the pool without assistance.  My son, however, can only make it about six feet.  I’m comforted by the fact that he has a healthy fear of falling in, and, left to his own devices, chooses to play on the steps, seldom venturing further.

I glanced at the pool.  The kids were playing “emergency,” and had my daughter stretched out on a raft, with noodles acting as straps.  Starla was saying something, so I turned my attention back to her.  Not 30 seconds later, I shifted my gaze to the pool.

My heart leapt into my throat.  A small, brown-haired head was bobbing in the deep end, and as I watched, sank to the bottom of the pool.  I shot out of my chair like a bullet, and without further thought, dove straight in, fully clothed.

I grabbed the small body and pulled it to the surface.  Starla’s seven-year-old son Blaise looked at me, blinking in surprise.  “Hi Miss Rebecca,” he said.

“Oh Blaise!” I cried, “I’m so sorry!  I thought you were Nick!”                            

I turned and looked toward the shallow end.  There was my daughter, stretched out on the “gurney,” held down by noodles.  Starla’s daughter Brianna was standing near her head, and there stood my son, dry as a bone and safe as could be.  Three small pairs of eyes stared at me in wide-eyed silence.  What I had perceived as an immediate threat to my son’s life had been absolutely, completely wrong.  A glance in the other direction would’ve taken less than a second, but in my panic, I dove in.

“Girl,” came Starla’s cheerful voice, “if you’re that hot, grab a sister’s swimsuit and save your clothes!”

Embarrassed and shaken, I pulled myself out of the water.  I had been so certain that was Nick. 

Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

One of the most quoted and preached verses in the Bible, yet perhaps the most ignored.  There is hardly a deviation in other translations, but here are two:

Bible in Basic English: Put all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support.

Darby Bible Translation: Confide in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own intelligence.

Our reasoning, our intelligence, our understanding; all unreliable and faulty.  King Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs, phrases it more bluntly in 28:26:

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

In 1 Samuel 26, David has been running from King Saul, who wants to kill him.  David has an opportunity to kill Saul, but declines, declaring, “The LORD forbid that I should kill the one He has anointed!  But I’ll tell you what – we’ll take his spear and his jug of water and then get out of here!”

Once he reaches a safe distance, David makes his presence known to Saul.  1 Samuel 26:25 – And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David.  You will do heroic deeds and be a great conqueror.”  Then David went away, and Saul returned home.

Then David does what so many of us do: But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me.  The best thing for me to do is to escape to the Philistines.*

So much of spiritual warfare is fought on the battleground of the mind. 

David failed to trust in the LORD with all his heart, choosing instead to lean on his own understanding and intelligence.  And he ran straight into the arms of his enemies.

How do we do the same, and what does it mean to “trust in the LORD” with all our hearts?  It means to hold fast to this: Hebrews 10:23 – Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. 

What are His promises?  Here are a few:

There is more.  Wherever you are right now; no matter what your circumstances look like, there is more:  1 Corinthians 2:9 – That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

God will finish what He has started in you: Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

You are not alone, and you can walk through the storms with confidence, knowing that the One who created you is walking with you: Isaiah 43:1-2 – But now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.  I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

You may not get everything you want, but God Himself will provide for your every need:  Luke 12:30b-31 – Your Father already knows your needs.  He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

What is your primary concern?  Do you trust in God, or yourself?  Whose approval do you seek, His or others’?  Are you walking by faith in the God who sees all, or in light of your circumstances?

I could’ve saved myself a lot of time and trouble, had I taken a moment to glance around the pool and discern the truth before leaping in.  In the same way, we can save ourselves a lot of anxiety and insecurity if we would only stop and look through the lens of Scripture before acting and reacting.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding.

Dear Heavenly Father, why is this so difficult to do?  Please help us to grow in our trust in you, and recognize feelings for what they are: deceptive.  Please convict us to study the Bible so that we will know Your promises and remember that You are faithful to keep them.  Please help us to remember that You do not work on our timetable, but that Your timing is perfect.  Please help us to be certain that, while we may not understand Your ways now, we can be confident that You are always working, and working for the good of those who love You.  God, we ask You to write these things on our hearts.  Let this be our immediate truth, instead of having to remind ourselves of these things.  We love You so much, but we want to love You more.  We believe in You; help us to believe You.  We pray these things in a spirit of victory, knowing that when we pray in line with Your will and in the precious name of Jesus Christ, You are faithful to answer our prayers.  It is indeed in Jesus’ name that we pray.  Amen.

*emphasis mine