Good Morning Sunshine! You Are Being Lifted by the Same Water That Tried to Drown You!

Psalm 124:4–5, 8 (KJV) – “Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Today, I celebrate my 58th birthday, and I can say with everything in me, I’m grateful! Grateful that I didn’t drown! Grateful that what was meant to pull me under did not prevail! Grateful that God lifted me up with His mighty hand! There were moments I didn’t think I would survive, the pain was deep, the pressure was intense, the water rose high. But thanks be unto God, for His Mercy rose higher! His Grace covered me like a flood, and the love of God rescued me when I could not rescue myself! I don’t just celebrate years today, I celebrate survival! I celebrate surrender! I celebrate the power of being lifted. This is not just a birthday, this is a testimony! I have lived through enough storms to know that every breath I take today is a breath of purpose, and every step I make is walking proof that God is faithful. I didn’t drown! I rose!

There’s a sacred shift that happens when you realize that the water that almost broke you is the same water God used to bless you. What tried to take you out is what God used to take you in. The very thing that overwhelmed your soul became the river that cleansed it. I know it’s humbling to know that God doesn’t always rescue you by removing the problem, sometimes He redeems you by riding through it with you. And more than that, He lifts you with it. The stream that was rising wasn’t just a storm; it was a sign. A sign that God was about to reveal His power and His purpose. He’s the One who commands the winds and the waves, and when He’s finished using them to refine you, He makes them work in your favor.

There are places in your life where you’ve cried out, “God, if You don’t come through, I won’t survive this.” But you did survive. And not only that, you’re beginning to rise. You’re rising from trauma. You’re rising from betrayal. You’re rising from brokenness, lack, and shame. And here’s the miracle, you’re being lifted by the same water that tried to drown you. What once pushed you down is now lifting you up. What once silenced your voice is now the backdrop to your testimony. That’s the kind of God we serve, One who turns valleys into springs and graves into gardens. You’re rising because Grace reached into the deep and refused to let go!

Don’t be ashamed of where you’ve been submerged. That story matters. That struggle shaped something Holy in you. You didn’t just come out of the storm; you came out anointed. The wilderness trained your ears to hear God differently. The water baptized your heart in a deeper surrender. And now, instead of fighting the flow, you’ve learned how to lean into it. You don’t rise the same way you fell. You rise with spiritual intelligence. You rise with scars that have become stories. You rise with the weight of His Glory and the fragrance of His Oil. God allowed you to be submerged so that your surface wouldn’t carry residue, only radiance.

Sometimes it takes going under for God to uproot the things you tried to survive with. Your coping mechanisms. Your hidden fears. Your secret pain. But when God is done with you in the deep, you don’t come back up carrying the same baggage. He cuts cords. He unties knots. He uproots bitterness and re-roots you in truth. The lifting is not just outward, it’s inward. That stream didn’t just pass over your body; it reached your soul. And while it seemed like it was going to take you out, it actually took something off you that couldn’t stay. You’re rising because something was released.

Even Jesus experienced the power of being submerged. At His baptism, when He came up out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Your rise isn’t just about deliverance; it’s about divine announcement. When you emerge, you’re not just clean, you’re called. You’re not just free, you’re favored. And God will use what almost destroyed you to become the declaration of your destiny. Don’t minimize the magnitude of this moment. The very water that almost silenced you has become the platform for your sound. The current didn’t kill you, it crowned you.

The testimony of your lifting is not for you alone. It’s for those still gasping beneath the weight of their own waters. You are the proof that God is faithful. You are the witness that He is mighty to save. Your story is a lifeline. Don’t hide the details of your descent or the depth of your desperation. That is where the anointing came from. The oil is in the crushing. The sound is in the silence. The healing is in the hidden places. And now, God is calling you to rise, not quietly, but boldly. Rise and tell the world that the water didn’t win. Tell them that the God who made the water walks on it, and now, so can you.

The Water Didn’t Win, Isaiah 43:1–2 (KJV) – “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine… When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee…” You belong to the One who made the sea, and the waves cannot overtake what He has redeemed.

Let’s Pray:
Father, I stand in awe that You allowed the waters to come near but never let them overcome me. You are the God who redeems, rescues, and restores, even in the places where I felt most abandoned. You drew me out of deep waters. You held me when I could not hold myself. I thank You that the very flood that tried to swallow me became the river of my revival. You let me go under so You could raise me in Your image, not my own strength. I see now that the waters were never sent to destroy me, they were sent to refine me. Thank You Father, for being with me through every wave, every tide, and every undercurrent. Thank You for the lifting that doesn’t just come with deliverance but with destiny. I speak over my soul that I am not what I went through, I am who You say I am. I am rising in favor. I am emerging with purpose. I am stepping forward, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and armed with the testimony of Your faithfulness. The flood passed over, but I remain. The stream surged, but it didn’t take my song. The water rose, but it did not drown my worship. Lord, heal the parts of me that still tremble at the memory of the storm. Let my mind be at peace. Let my body rest in Your Sovereignty. I break every agreement with fear and declare that the water was a part of my witness, not the end of my story. Use what I’ve been through as a well for others to draw from. Let the overflow from my lifting become the encouragement someone else needs to survive. Make me a lifeline. Make me a voice. Make me a living testimony of Grace, grit, and Glory. I declare in Jesus Name that I will never see the water the same. It was never stronger than my Savior. It was never more powerful than Your purpose. The stream that passed over my soul left behind a song of praise and a trail of oil. I am not afraid to go deep, because You go before me. I will not be ashamed of what tried to take me out, because it is now my testimony that You brought me out. Let the Heavens open as I rise. Let Your Voice speak over me, “This is My child, in whom I am well pleased.” Father, cover me in the current of Your Spirit. Baptize me again in surrender. Draw me out daily, not just from trouble, but into truth. I declare that I am lifted by grace, led by truth, and loved without end. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean