Love Lifted Me
“But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry. From the waters He lifted me, Now safe am I.”
James Rowe’s 1912 hymn, “Love Lifted Me,” beautifully captures how God’s love reaches into our darkest places and pulls us out of our many troubles. Looking back on my childhood, I can hear the deacon sweetly singing the same hymn as we transitioned from Sunday School to Worship Service. As the years passed, this song became a comforting reminder of God’s love and compassion towards us.
In my early 30's, a single Mom, I battled with intense anxiety attacks. At the time, I poured every bit of my energy into raising my sweet baby girl and I was determined to be the best mother that I could be.
First, the attacks were random, but soon they started creeping up in the early hours just about every morning. Eventually, I was hospitalized. While there, my eldest sister visited me and said something that stayed with me, “If you want to live to raise your child, you need to get yourself together.” Those words ignited a flame and I began to fight. As a result, I turned to God’s word.
In my search for peace, I found in 2 Timothy 1:7; that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. That’s when I realized that anxiety was an evil spirit, and with God the battle was already won.
Every night, as comfort, I fell asleep with the TV on TBN. One morning, I woke up to Jan Crouch sharing her own battle with depression. She read Psalm 18:5-19, where King David calls on the Lord when the sorrows of hell surrounded him and how the Lord reached down and pulled him out of his many waters. I clung to those words, applying them to my own life, and gradually, the attacks ceased.
It was love for my baby girl that made me fight, and God’s love for me that lifted me out of my troubles and placed me on a solid foundation. Once in a while, fear tries to creep back in, but the Holy Spirit gently reminds me of the victory I have through Christ Jesus, His shed blood and the power of God’s word.
To those of you who are struggling with fear or anxiety, please know that the same victory I experienced is also available to you. Just try Him!
Much love and stay encouraged.
Annie Eva
