How High’s The Water Poppa?

 Fifty four, point five and rising.

 I am a little nervous.  The south has taken a round-house right cross over the last few weeks.  The tornados have made most of the news.  Having lived in Vilonia, Arkansas up until ’07… in two house that stared down the barrell of last weeks tornado, that is the storm I felt most of all (several friends had damage, one lost their home, and many were in the heart of responding to the wreckage).  Of course, a few hours later tornados would land wicked shots to Tusculoosa and surrounding areas, flooding would be in the streets of my wife’s hometown, the levee would give way in Pocohantas, Arkansas, and to our north the U.S. Corp of Engineers had to decide whom to flood… the city of Cairo, Illinois or the Missouri bootheel.

  All the while, here in Greenville we have dodged most all of the really bad stuff… well, at least so far.  The vital statistics… 54.5 feet (current river level),  64.5 feet (the predicted crest on May 17), and 67 feet (the point at which the mighty Mississipi River begins pushing water over the levee and turns main street into a new tributary.)  As of this weekend no one will be allowed to walk on the levee and the casinos on the other side will be closed.  [No one wants a repeat of the incident a few years back when a casino full of people broke loose from the bank and started floating out towards the open river... headed to New Orleans, I guess.]  The levee board is assuring everyone that the levee will hold and we’ll go on like normal… but we’ve got our eyes on them.  If any of them even get close to an insurance agent’s office, the presumption will be they are getting flood insurance and its time we seek higher ground.   We don’t want 2011 to be mentioned in the same breath as 1927 (the worst flood on record), but everyone is thinking about where they would run just the same.  My son thinks we just need to buy a kayak.  His buddy is keeping his PSN game system stored in the attic. 

Downtown Greenville, Ms, April 1927

With all the flooding and fear of flooding, a couple of passages come to mind.  In Isaiah 43, God says “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”  Later in the chapter he descibes himself as the one who makes a path through the mighty waters.  In Psalm 29 we find where the ancient Hebrews used to sing, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters;  the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.”  Then later, “He sits enthroned above the flood, the Lord is King forever.  The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

  I don’t like floods… of any kind.  I don’t like physical disasters or fiscal disasters.  I don’t like to see the waters of sickness slowly rise on those I love or watch a whirlwind come from out of nowhere and break apart a family, leaving them to grieve in the ruins.  And, though like the massive water making its way down the river, I know its coming, and eventually death will break through every levee I build against it.  The river awaits us all.

  In light of this I find it interesting, in the verses above, that God does not promise to divert the mighty waters or even lead us on some hidden path around them.  His promise is to lead us “through” them and give us strength… even peace.

  I love this passage from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress as Christian approaches the river of death…

Now, I further saw, that betwixt them and the gate was a river,
but there was no bridge to go over: the river was very deep. At
the sight, therefore, of this river, the Pilgrims were much
stunned; but the men that went in with them said, “You must go
through, or you cannot come at the gate.”

The Pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no other way to
the gate; to which they answered, “Yes; but there hath not any,
save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to tread that
path since the foundation of the world, nor shall, until the
last trumpet shall sound.” The Pilgrims then, especially
Christian, began to despond in their minds, and looked this way
and that, but no way could be found by them by which they might
escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters were all
of a depth. They said: “No”; yet they could not help them in
that case; “For,” said they, “you shall find it deeper or
shallower as you believe in the King of the place.”

They then addressed themselves to the water and, entering,
Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend
Hopeful, he said, “I sink in deep waters; the billows go
over my head, all his waves go over me! Selah.”

Then said the other, “Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the
bottom, and it is good.” Then said Christian, “Ah! my friend,
the sorrows of death hath compassed me about; I shall not see
the land that flows with milk and honey”… .  Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keep his brother’s head above water; yea, sometimes he would be quite gone down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up again half dead. Hopeful also would endeavour to comfort him, saying, “Brother, I see the gate, and men standing by to receive us”: but Christian would
answer, “It is you, it is you they wait for; you have been
Hopeful ever since I knew you.” “And so have you,” said he to
Christian. “Ah! brother!” said he, surely if I was right He
would now arise to help me; but for my sins He hath brought me
into the snare, and hath left me.” Then said Hopeful, “My
brother, you have quite forgot the text, where it is said of the
wicked, ‘There are no bands in their death, but their strength
is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they
plagued like other men.’ These troubles and distresses that you
go through in these waters are no sign that God hath forsaken
you; but are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that
which heretofore you have received of his goodness, and live
upon him in your distresses.”

Then I saw in my dream, that Christian was as in a muse awhile.
To whom also Hopeful added this word, “Be of good cheer, Jesus
Christ maketh thee whole”; and with that Christian brake out
with a loud voice, “Oh, I see him again! and he tells me, ‘When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.’” Then they
both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a
stone, until they were gone over. Christian therefore presently
found ground to stand upon, and so it followed that the rest of
the river was but shallow. Thus they got over.

P.S.  One of the great promises of scripture is that the mighty waters of death will one day crest, then become dry groundl; while the river of life is eternal.  The Spirit and the bride say come and drink freely.

A tune for all you Johnny Cash lovers… 

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