No Drowning Allowed

When you go through deep waters, 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. Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Over the past ten years or so, I've had a recurring dream. Though the scenery changes a bit each time, the same thing is taking place and the same feelings wake me from the dreams. I am going to attempt to paint you a picture:

There are two of us in a car. In some of the dreams I am driving; in others, I am the passenger. Every dream brings us to a bridge which stretches over a body of water. The most recent dream was an ocean, where the previous dream was over a river.

Suddenly the roadway ends over the body of water and the car is flying in the air. There is always a startled physical reaction in these dreams as I become hysterical. Both of us in the car are terrified as we begin falling toward the water. The fear and distress is so overwhelming that it wakes me from the dream before the car ever hits the water.

The key factor here is the element of FEAR.

I did not want to feel the impact of hitting the water. It would feel more like hitting concrete. I did not want to experience the feeling of drowning and struggling to breathe.

This is very similar to what Peter was experiencing, I'd imagine. In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus told Peter and the rest of the disciples in the boat, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter responded, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” He got out of the boat because he believed it was safer in the middle of the stormy sea with Jesus, than in the middle of the boat without Him. When Peter knew it was Jesus calling out to them, he got out, in faith, but the wind continued. I am positive Peter expected the winds to calm now that Jesus was with them. However, the winds did not stop and Peter's faith wavered. He just knew he would be overcome by the ocean waves and drown. As he began to sink, Jesus rescued him!

During these years in which I've had the recurring dreams, there were many opportunities to strengthen my trust in God's promises, protection, and provision.

More recently, the Lord allowed me to enter a very tumultuous season. His Spirit has risen up in me in worship through some scary life storms. Fear has subsided.

As I enter another season of familiar circumstances, I now have confidence that Jesus is with me and will not allow me to drown. It appears I will be returning to family court. This time around, I am so grateful to have grown past my fears and will not be overcome with distress.

So have no fear of them; for nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, or kept secret that will not become known. Matthew 10:26

How do I really know?

Because Holy Spirit has walked me through moments where I normally would be overcome with fear, yet I have not. This is just another one.

So, back to the recurring dream...

The most recent one took place last night. This time, that dreaded moment of actually hitting the water came.

I watched the ocean surrounding our car and wondered how long it would take for the car to begin filling with water. The driver spoke to me, "You're going to be okay."

Shortly after that, there was still no water coming into the car and we were simply floating. I opened the car door and began to step out into the waves. Even upon opening the car door, the water held its place outside of the car. The driver once again told me I was going to be just fine.

I closed the car door. The driver then accelerated and the car came to the surface of the water and we began driving effortlessly across the ocean waves all the way to shore.

This dream is a definite reminder that I have nothing to fear. More importantly, that my mind will not return to that fearful place as I return to the family courthouse.

God can do anything, you know..far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20-21 (The Message)