Maelstrom

Whirlpools have always fascinated me. (As a kid, spy lore taught me that water in a sink drains counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern. So the spy being held captive pulls the plug on the sink drain, and uses the direction of the swirl to figure out where he his being held. It's more complicated than that in real life, but it's fun to think about.)

We call the biggest whirlpools Maelstroms, after an old Dutch phrase meaning "whirling stream." The third largest known maelstrom is called The Corryvreckan, and is located off the west coast of Scotland. Reportedly, the currents can reach 10 knots, and produce waves over 30 feet high. The Everything Scottish Facebook page relates:

A documentary team from Scottish independent producers Northlight Productions once threw a mannequin into the Corryvreckan ("The Hag") with a high-visibility vest and a depth gauge. The mannequin was swallowed and spat up far down current with a depth gauge reading of 860 feet and evidence of being dragged along the bottom for a great distance.

Dude! The locals even offer boat tours. Nope, nope, nope! (I have a tremendous fear of drowning, which provides my son who works with me some level of amusement, seeing as we are dock builders and work on the water daily.)

Sometimes life overwhelms us, and we find ourselves drowning. Maybe debt, maybe relationship problems, maybe work, or perhaps a devastating illness. We find ourselves sucked deeper and deeper-- far beyond the range of self-recovery. In 2 Samuel 22, the future King David shared a song he wrote to commemorate how God delivered him from King Saul, who was hunting him. Part of the lyrics include a word picture of a being caught in a maelstrom.

The waves of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

Last night, God showed me something interesting. I saw a whirlpool -- a maelstrom -- with a golden escalator coming up out of it. (I am reminded of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28 of a staircase leading up to heaven, with the angels going up and down it.) I also noticed that the clouds were breaking and the sky was gorgeous, as though it were the perfect sunrise. Birds were flying by. I believe the gold color was symbolic of this being something God was doing.

Maybe this is for you. Maybe you feel like you are caught in a maelstrom. Your life is going down the drain, and self-help is no longer an option. You are in despair, but God is about to provide you with a way out-- a golden escalator to the surface. The waters are still swirling, but you are about to encounter a beautiful sunrise.

Look up.

Are you in the maelstrom?