We have all made choices in our lives that we regret, but even the worst of circumstances that are created by our own choices, the Lord can, and will use these for good, if we cooperate with Him.
Into a Spacious Place from the Depths of the Earth
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, I spent a lot of time underground.
At first, it was in old gold mines in the central California close to the town of Sonora, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, also known as ‘gold country’.
Then it was in caves, both commercial, and wild, unimproved by human hands.
One of the things you realise immediately when going underground, is the lack of light. You must come equipped with your own lighting; three sources, in case of failure, and extra batteries for each.
Without light, one is lost, stranded; trapped.
You must come prepared for the environment, it’s all rock; it’s hard, and unforgiving. I have seen well-seasoned miners forget their helmets and walk out of the mine bleeding from head wounds.
Rock is unforgiving…
Another aspect of being underground, in a mine or a cave, is the heavy thick atmosphere; it feels tangibly close. Usually you notice a lack of air movement.
It can be claustrophobic.
Especially if you are in a really tight, low passage.
The space is anything but spacious.
In Psalm 18: 17-19 it talks about this very thing:
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
When in a mine, or a cave, of meagre girth, you notice the lack of space, the feeling the walls are closing in, the ceiling seems to be dipping downward, almost suffocating.
If you are not very careful, the anxiety thoughts of possible loss of air creep in, and then panic is not very far away.
The very last thing you want to do, when underground, is to panic, where the sense of losing control can be palatable, almost embracing, calling you to the depths of hopelessness…
In 1993, I had been underground for five hours, five hours away from the entrance and five hours from any exit. That’s where, and when, I got stuck. At chest height. I twisted, trying to break free, and managed to crack several ribs; excruciating.
I had no choice but to remain where I was, the caver with me was exhausted, and unable to reach me, so I had to wait for the others, who had travelled further into the cave. About 30 minutes later, they arrived back at our location, and discovered me trapped, and two of them promptly dug me free and pulled me out.
FREEDOM
I still had five hours of climbing, crawling, and chimney-ing, to get to the final exit, including crawling through three pipes of 23 inches in diameter to the vertical last pipe, which was 13 foot in length; all of this nursing very painful cracked ribs.
In caving speech, I managed to do a self-rescue, with the help of my fellow cavers.
Panic was my enemy. Remorse, and sorrow, were also my enemy…
Being grateful that I was able to do what I needed to do to extricate myself, was a close friend; and the knowledge that God was with me, even here.
Nearly five hours later I made it to the final corrugated pipe and the 13 foot vertical climb. I was using a mechanical device called a Jamar ascender, to climb the rope, and wasn’t very adept at it. At the top of the rope, exhausted, I missed the rope with the ascender, and fell those same 13 feet to the bottom, writhing in agony, I knew I didn’t have the strength to climb the rope again.
I am not a small man, and even though lighter in those days, was still heavy. However, three men managed to pull me to the top, and wrench me out of the pipe to the surface!
I was so grateful to each of them, and hugged them and praised the help.
I was stiff, very sore, hurting, and still had to go to work the following day. But when I reached the freedom of the surface, the fresh air, the spacious place that the Lord allowed me to experience once again, it was remarkable!
This was not unlike finally being set free from addictive behaviours that one has been struggling with for years!
Freedom, given by the Lord cannot, should not, ever be underestimated.
In God’s economy, nothing goes to waste, and He will use it, not only in our own life, but also in the lives of others.
We have all made choices in our lives that we regret, but even the worst of circumstances that are created by our own choices, the Lord can, and will use these for good, if we cooperate with Him.
John Childress
co-founder, resource developer, men's leader
Free! Recovery
