My footing gone, I was thrust under the immense power of the crashing waves as they pummeled me from above. Standing, breathing, or staying put was impossible. The razor-sharp sand tore into my back as I pushed my arms toward the surface with all my might. The tips of my fingers stretching toward the surface with my little girl at the end. The waves had caught us off guard, ripping our legs from beneath us and sending us tumbling tail over top like so many sea stones. I held onto my little one with every ounce of my strength lest I lose her to the sea. The waves did not stop coming, and she needed to breathe. Digging my heels in to try to stop the dangerous drag outward, I desperately pushed her toward the surface until she could catch a breath.

We didn’t drown that day, but when we were finally able to regain some footing, we dragged ourselves out, exhausted, sand-burned, and shaking – bellies bloated from swallowing way too much seawater. She had been afraid. She quickly nestled into my arms and onto my lap as I covered her shivering frame with a towel and rocked her back and forth for comfort.

So often in life, we don’t see the waves coming. They seldom come alone. Unable to right ourselves, we sometimes find that we can barely find which way is up and grasp at anything that may seem more substantial than the shifting sand beneath our feet. At least, that is what it would be if we were to face the storms of life alone. Blessedly, we do not have to.

God holds onto us even better than I held tight to my little girl. He sees the storms coming, His feet are firmly planted, and in His arms, we can find an ever-present help in trouble.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3