THE STORY
I can’t remember the year, but I know that I was very young. It was a hot summer day, and I was learning the thrills of water skiing. I had improved to the point that I could push myself and the limits of my skinny little body. I am sure that it must have been fun for him to watch a mad man flying across the wake, grinning from ear to ear, screaming watch this dad!
I pushed, pushed harder, and pushed as far as my limits could take me. I guess that is something I got from him. I can hear the echoes of Mom exclaiming, “You had to push it to the max!” As usual, something went wrong. I looked down to see my ski disappear into the wake and it was all over. I went down hard but I was up quickly. That was a lesson I learned early on…you don’t stay down! When I came up for air, my eyes were closed, but the ski that had fallen off was coming for me. I never saw it, and it sliced across my eye-lid leaving a scar that remains today.
That is not what I remember best about the story. My father was always safe around boats, but I will never forget the sight of him jumping in, fully clothed, while the boat was still moving, to make sure his boy was safe.I took my little arms and wrapped them around his big neck and knew that everything was going to be fine.
THE LESSON
I can’t imagine a love any different from that. From that point forward, even to this day, he has always been there when I called for help.
That story gave me a clear picture of how Father God loves to rescue us. I would need it nearly 15 years later as I faced on of the greatest battles of my life. I was heading into my senior year at Mississippi College. I had just finished a junior campaign in which I finished hitting .420 and leading the team in almost every offensive category. I was voted to the first team All-West All-American Team and even bigger for my, the teams Most Valuable Player. I had worked very hard to get where I was and began each day by running. I loved to run. I would get up early each morning in college and run three to six miles. I love the feeling that I was working harder than ever one else.
One morning, about three miles in to my run, my legs began to hurt in a way that they had never hurt before. When I finally stopped and looked at my legs, the sight was frightening. The sides of my lower legs between the shin and calf was severely swollen and expanded. As I took off my shoe, I noticed that both of my feet were purple. A friend noticed my condition and drove me to the training room. On the third table from the right on a beautiful fall morning, I was told that I had developed “Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome.” The cold hard fact was that there was no surgery to repair it at that time and I would never be able to run long distance again and I was going to gradually get slower and slower.
My dream was shattered. It was a long shot, but I had a chance at playing ball after college if I could put up some big numbers and display leadoff speed.
I will never forget laying there on that training room table in tears. My world had been torn apart. I laid there for a couple of hours until the story of dad jumping into the water came to my mind.
God quietly said…I am here for you…just like that day. The peace and comfort that came in that moment are indescribable. I just remember thinking that everything was going to be fine and God would take care of me.
There are so many students who can not grasp the rescuing father as a description of God. How could they? When has their earthly father been there? When has he rescued them? It was not hard for me…I new what it felt like to be rescued.
The truth is, we all need to be rescued. We can’t make it through this life without it.
THE WORD
Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord you God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
I think there should be an exclamation point at the end of that last sentence. God is with us. Through the ups and downs of our life…he is always there. He is definitely the God that rescues.
THE APPLICATION
There is going to be a time in your son’s life when he need to know that Dad will come to his rescue. He has got to know that Dad is in his corner. That doesn’t mean that you bail your son out of every problem. What it means is when your boy needs the big hitter to come in and knock a grand-slam, you will be there!
1 comment:
That story reminds me of a story John Piper told when he was preaching a sermon on prayer. Here is the excerpt:
"When I was a very young boy, I lost my footing in the undertow while swimming at Boynton Beach, Florida. When the ocean pulled me under, it felt like I would be permanently pinned to the ocean floor. It was a terrifying thing. I remember trying to get my bearings and trying to figure out which way was up. Anyone who has been gripped by an undertow knows the panic one feels--you wonder if you will ever break free. You feel totally helpless and, of course, underwater you can't even yell for help.
After a few seconds of struggling underwater, I felt my grandfather's hand take hold of my upper arm like a vice grip. My grandfather, with the hand strength only a farmer could possess, pulled me, almost effortlessly, to the surface.
When my grandfather grabbed my arm, I remember yielding completely to his strength. I did not resist. The thought never entered my mind that I should show him that things aren't so bad; or that I needed to add to my grandfather's strength. All I thought was, Yes! Thank you!
This is how it should be when God grips us. We should not pretend that everything is under control. We should never think we need to add to God's strength. God does NOT help those who help themselves, God helps those who are helpless--He helps those who "call">(Ps. 50:15) to Him and those who "cling " to Him(Ps. 63:8). Prayer is no t about manipulating God's strength. Prayer is about yielding to God's strength."
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