A few months ago, I witnessed a close friend of mine go through a very toxic relationship. Their struggle resonated with me because I was able to apply the overall struggle with so many things that I have personally gone through. When I sat down with my guitar the following day, I wrote the song, "Drowning." The lyrics wrote themselves.
I knew the word "drowning" was how I wanted to translate the feeling of being stuck. When I opened my Bible, I came across Psalms 69:1 (CEV): “Save me, God! I am about to drown. I am sinking deep in the mud, and my feet are slipping. I am about to be swept under by a mighty flood.”
I found this verse so relatable. There are many times that we, as humans, feel like we're drowning. The song's lyrics can easily be applied to so many people’s situations, whether it's a relationship, work, substance or alcohol abuse, or even a world pandemic.
Once I recorded the demo, I let other people listen to it to get their opinion. After much consideration, I decided that it would be best to be specific about who I was going to debut the song to. Every person said that the song resonated with them at their core.
The song's chorus is, by far, my favorite part of the song: "Yeah, when I’m sinking fast/He’s pulling me out of the water/And when my heart is breaking/He’s putting it back together/The bottom’s not so low/You’re with me there I know/I’m not drowning." I wanted to write a chorus that was an encouragement and a declaration: that when you feel like you’re drowning, God's pulling you out of the water.
Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Peace is the first word that comes to mind when I read this verse. Jesus is here to carry you through troubled waters. You just have to trust him.
With all the international issues going on, I've felt a little lost. But, with concerts and tours getting postponed, I have utilized this free-time to work on myself a bit. Everything from writing new music to growing personally, as well as working on my relationship with God. As a believer, I truly think God is using this time as an extreme wake up call.
I was talking to friends and family about what's happening in the world. And, I noticed that I've stayed calm during this time. I started making a mental list of all the breaking news headlines and thought, "How is it possible to stay calm with all of this going on?" The answer immediately popped into my head. I trust Jesus. His hand is completely over the world.
Have peace knowing that Jesus will never fail us. I hope and pray that our nation will come out knowing and trusting Him. As it says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Cast all of your cares on Him." Although sometimes we feel like we're drowning, know that He is already pulling you out of the water.
Skylee Shea is a 20-year-old Christian singer-songwriter from Arizona, who has written, recorded, and performed her original music for many church and worship events.
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