The Quicksands of Life

 

 

 We also traveled to Mont Saint Michel while we were in France.  The abbey on the island just celebrated its 1,000^th anniversary! The tides are very high; there is a 50 foot difference between high and low tide. When the tide goes out, there is a large area around the island that is above water. You have to be very careful walking across it because there are areas of quicksand that can be dangerous to someone out on their own. Despite what you see in the movies and on TV, you won’t go down over your head in quicksand but you may get stuck and be caught when the tide comes back in. The secret is to relax and let yourself float over the sand; flailing about will just make you go in deeper. If you can’t float, try to take small steps, even though they require a lot of effort to do so. Let go of anything that is weighing you down. Raise your arms up out of the sand. Above all, you should have someone looking out for you who can help you get out.

 

David cried out at the beginning of Psalm 69: “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help” (Psalm 69:1-3).

 

We have all felt that way at one time or another. We feel like we are in quicksand and we can’t get a foothold in order to make our way out. We get all worked up and, in our anxiety, find that we are just sinking deeper into the mire. We will better deal with the quicksands of life by following the advice above. Let go of whatever is weighing you down. Raise your arms up to God and trust in Him, allow His peace to come upon you and help you rise up above your problems. Seek and accept the help that God sends to you. Start out on the path God sets before you, even if you can only take small steps at first.

 

When life is difficult, remember that you are not alone.  God will always be with you. He is the rock on which we can stand securely. I am reminded of the hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand”:

 

When darkness veils His lovely face
I'll rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy day
My anchor holds within the veil

 

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

 

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

 

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand