“Great works are done in deep waters.” Dr. David Jeremiah

A few Sundays ago, my husband and I took a couple of minutes on our church stage to tell what Solid Rock meant to us and to pray before the sermon. I read my paraphrased version from the beginning of Psalm 107, “I came here (to this church) after wandering for years in the desert, in a desperate place, and I cried out to God and He put my feet on a wonderful road that took me straight to a good place to live.” 

It was a perfect reading to describe how God led me to Solid Rock last May during the quarantine when they reopened across the street, but our church didn’t. 

What I’d forgotten, though, was that around that same time, I listened to David Jeremiah’s sermon “When You Can’t Take It Anymore” based on Psalm 107. 

Last week, just before the start up of this chapter about happiness and suffering, I happened upon the notes I took on his sermon. Although this blog post doesn’t compare to listening to him preach it, here’s a summary about how interconnected deep water (suffering) is with our happiness. 

Dr. Jeremiah said, “We walk to the edge of all of our light and that next step into the blackness holds the destiny that God has for us.” 

He breaks down Psalm 107 into these seven points: 

• Place of the storm (and the blessings) is in deep water. 
• Producer of the storm is sometimes God Himself. 
• Peril of the storm happens when we come to the end of ourselves. 
• Prayer in the storm isn’t eloquent and long, but a desperate cry, “Help me.”
• Peace of the storm comes when we realize the one who started it can also stop it.
• Purpose of the storm is to change us. 
• Praise after the storm is our happiness, our time to thank God and tell people. 

I especially identified with the peril of the storm. Dr. Jeremiah described it like he knew me – the way I tried hard to make my own miracle instead of trusting in God’s. How I tried all I knew to try, did all I could think to do, and finally came to the end of my rational options, and even tried some irrational ones. 

I ended up like the people in Psalm 107:27 (NIV), “They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.”

Dr. Jeremiah also preached, “But perhaps we’ll never take that one terrifying step that makes the miracle possible.”

All I could think to do in the end, at my wits’ end, was take the next step, pray, and watch what God would do. And when He was done, thank Him and tell y’all. 

In This Together, 
Kim

FYI: I’m blogging my book titled On The Other Side of Trying Hard: Healing, Happiness, and Holiness. Because the blog posts will eventually be an entire manuscript instead of stand-alone stories, some posts may leave you hanging. I hope you’ll hang in here with us anyway ‘cause a happy ending is coming. Each blog post title includes the chapter title first. The phrase in parentheses is one subheading within the chapter. I’d love to hear your reflections, questions, and suggestions. I’m over-the-top grateful you’re here.