The days stretch into weeks, and you realize this isn't a puddle you'll step over. This is deep water. You're in over your head, the waves keep coming, and you can't see the shore.
And here's the part that's hardest to say out loud: you didn't wander here. You prayed. You followed. You said yes. And somehow, the yes led here.
The Misconception: Deep Water Means I Drifted
When life gets this hard, most of us instinctively run an audit. Where did I go wrong? What did I miss? When did I step outside God's will? We assume that if we'd stayed close to Him, we'd be on dry land right now.
Sometimes that audit is right. Sometimes we really have wandered, and the way home is repentance. But the Bible won't let us assume that every storm is a sign of drift.
The Dead End God Chose
Look at Exodus 14:1-2. Israel has just walked out of Egypt, and God gives Moses a strange instruction: "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea."
Turn back. Camp by the sea. On purpose.
From a military standpoint, it's a disaster. Water in front, desert around, and within days, Pharaoh's army behind them. They didn't take a wrong turn to get there. God led them there. He walked them right up to the edge of the impossible.
And when the people panicked, God's instruction to Moses wasn't "retreat." It was verse 15: "Tell the Israelites to move on." Into the sea.
Anchor Me
"The Deeps" by Brogan Gaskill & Ian Austin sings from inside that exact moment. The song describes walking through the sea with waves crashing all around — and it's honest that God is the One who brought them there and told them to step into the fear and keep going. They admit they wish they could find a way around. But God made dry ground through the waters instead.
So the prayer changes. The chorus isn't a request for an exit. It's a plea to be anchored: don't let me sink, help me believe when I can't see, and remind me You're here with me. Later, the song shifts from the sea to the night, with God as a lamp to their feet — echoing Psalm 119:105 — leading one step at a time when the road ahead is invisible.
Through, Not Around
That's the theme of this whole week in one picture. You'd give anything for a way around. God doesn't seem interested in around. But He has never once been absent from the through.
Isaiah 43:2: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."
If you're in deep water today, try this: for one day, stop begging for the exit. Ask Him to anchor you instead.
This is Chapter Three of DRY GROUND. Catch up on Chapters One and Two, or come back tomorrow for Chapter Four — for everyone who feels like they're slipping.
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