“The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me. . .BUT YOU, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.” (Jonah 2:6, emphasis mine)
For the child of God, is there a more powerful, more hopeful two-word ensemble in all the English language than But You?
This dynamic duo is the ULTIMATE REALITY that firms our footing when we find ourselves being tossed to and fro in a reality of earth-sized proportion that threatens to batter us, to break us, so all seems lost. It’s THE TRUTH we cling tightly to in the midst of great tempests and trials, times when we’re sinking. . . drowning. . .with no visible rescue in sight.
There is this. . . Oh Lord, there is that. . .
BUT YOU
But You is the strong arm of deliverance we wildly grip when the floodwaters are menacing and the waves are engulfing. . .when the currents are swirling and pulling, and the ocean’s depth is taking us down. . .when Death's deep realm is calling our name, mocking our existence. . .But You is our humble child's cry—desperate, distressed, defeated.
An exhausted, though enlightened, soul, in grave need of a Savior's deliverance.
It’s the welcoming shore our merciful Father—the Great Rescuer-Redeemer—pulls us to. It's the solid, safe ground He so lovingly lays us upon.
Sand of salvation
Place of peace
Realm of true rest
But You, without a doubt, is the triumphant truth—all-powerful and unstoppable—that snatches us from the pit's darkened depth and redeems what the ocean's force meant to drown in us.
But you, Lord my God. . .
Always and Forever.
"In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.
When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
Jonah 2:1-9