19 January | Youth
«Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!» Psalm 130:1-2
When I was six years old, I went on vacation with my family to the city of Penedo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For several weeks, we stayed in a camping called “Stone House,” a spacious and very pleasant place in the middle of nature.
One afternoon, while everyone was resting, I went out alone around the camp in search of adventure. Yet, that was not a clever idea. In my innocence, I started jumping over a large cement structure. I had no idea what was down there. Suddenly, the lid flipped, and I fell into a large reservoir of water. To my complete misfortune, the lid closed the place. Everything went dark and I started to drown, going to the bottom of the cistern.
Desperate, I said a short prayer in my mind, “Jesus, save me!” Perhaps that was the first prayer that made sense in my life. I thought I was going to die. After a few seconds, I heard footsteps on top of that large cement structure. I saw a flash of light and an arm stretched towards me. It was my mother's arm. She heard the screams and quickly came to rescue me.
It is possible that, at some point in your life, you too have reached “rock bottom.” Not literally, as it happened to me, but in the suffering and difficulties of your journey. Like the psalmist in today's verse, you may be crying out to God to save you from the depths of depression, unemployment, addiction, loneliness, or suicide. Maybe you still feel like you're in a hole that you dug yourself in the idle afternoons of your life. I would like you to look up. There is a God who does not abandon His children, especially when they are in a “dead end.”
The same God who was in the pit with Joseph, in the dungeon with Paul, in the belly of the fish with Jonah, in the cave with Elijah and in the lion's den with Daniel is the One who is now with you. He knows how to get out of a hole, a well and even a tomb! For God, the “bottom of the well” is not the end point of existence, but the opportunity for a new beginning. Look at the arms of the Almighty! They are extended to save you.
Do not be afraid! Jesus will rescue you and cleanse your wounds. For every dead end, He opens a secret passage.