Ever had that dream where you feel like you’re falling to your death and you jerk and wake yourself up? Me too. Scary dream. It leaves your heart pounding.

What’s even worse is when you have one of those wide-awake, real life moments that leave your heart pounding: sudden bad news, abandonment, a train wreck happening in your life. You feel like you’re in an endless fall. You can’t see the bottom. And it seems that the adrenalin-inducing situation will never end – or worse, will end in catastrophe.

When one of those things happens, there’s only one thing to do. Well actually that’s not true. There are several things we could do. We could pitch fit like a three-year-old, cuss out the person causing us pain (that’s “curse” for you non-Southern folks), binge on chocolate, get drunk, pop a pill, or freak out in any number of other personal preference ways. But then we would still be in the same overwhelming situation, plus we would have probably added pain and complications to our situation.

My favorite movie is Apollo 13. And one of my favorite scenes from it occurs after the mission-terminating accident has happened. The 3 astronauts on board the damaged spacecraft are assessing their situation. Tensions are high. They are frightened. Anger and accusations boil over as a result and an argument ensues for a couple of minutes until the mission commander, Jim Lovell, brings it to a halt with this statement:

Jim Lovell: “All right, look, we’re not doing this, gentlemen, we’re not gonna do this. We’re not gonna go bouncing off the walls for the next 10 minutes, because we’re just gonna end up right back here with the same problems!”

Since seeing this movie the very first time, this line has never left me. How often do I find myself in crisis and begin to freak out and bounce off the walls and say or do stupid things that complicate the situation, only to find myself right back in the same place when my anger is spent and my ranting is over? I’ve wasted all that time and energy, and probably increased my blood pressure and aggravated my health all for nothing. When if I reacted as I know is best, I would probably have found a more helpful, peaceful, and God-honoring way of conducting myself that would have left me in a better place emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and even physically.

There truly is only one thing to do that will help and not add to our tumultuous situation. That is to turn to The One who can catch us when we’re falling – our Father God. Turn to Him in prayer. Turn to His Word. Turn your heart to meditate on Him. Psalm 91 reminds us…

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

So the next time you feel yourself falling, turn to The One who can catch us when we’re falling. Then let go and let yourself fall… Fall into Jesus’ arms. Fall at God’s feet in prayer and worship. Fall on the altar in repentance of the sin that may have gotten you into your mess. Fall before the majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the only one who can truly rescue. Then simply trust… God’s got you Girl!