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Whitewater kayaking and rafting is an exhilarating and high-energy sport. With fast, Class V rapids, the flow and speed of the water are breathtaking and often dangerous. It takes incredible skill and experience to literally navigate the rapids and come out on top. After sections of radical rapids and turbulent water, there are usually sections of the river that are calm and peaceful. Paddlers love these parts of the river to relax and regroup.

Our lives and pace can often feel like Class V rapids, moving at breakneck speed with little or no margin. Too much to do with too little time. Those are the times when God invites us to slow down and be still. Stillness, like paddling white water, is a learned skill that needs to be practiced. When we put the brakes on our busyness, taking time to be still and quiet before God, He offers us peace that transcends all understanding and His amazing grace.

When we are still and know that He is God and that He is in control, He will be exalted in our minds, in our lives, in our nation and in all the earth. He does not want our lives to be out of control but under His control. In the 23rd Psalm, David writes, “He lets me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he renews my life.” Note the key action words here – lets me, leads me, refreshes me.

In whitewater kayaking, there is a term called the “Hand of God.” It is described as, “a rescue technique where a paddler comes alongside another paddler who has flipped upside down and can’t roll up. The rescuer places him/herself alongside the kayaker that is upside down and uprights them.” Jesus does this when our lives seem upside down and we have flipped over.

We simply need to slow down, be very still and step out of ourselves and into God’s presence. We need to practice this daily. When we do, we experience Him and His peace, power, purpose, protection, provision and promises.