Wading Through the Weight
Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
November 2, 2026
This Week's Anchor
“Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins."
Psalm 130 (NIV)
In our most recent devotion, we empowered each other in God’s sufficient grace. What a blessing to be afforded this Divine strength among our weakest moments. And also…how challenging it is when the distance between where we are and where we aspire to be feels greater than we’d like as we patiently await the full manifestation of God’s provision to arrive. It’s easy to wait when what we are waiting for is nigh and what we are waiting in is hopeful. But every now and then, and sometimes more often than we’d like, we find ourselves in seasons like the one we are collectively in now, where a new day seems light-years away, and the wait between now and the next chapter feels hard to bear. These are the seasons when we depend immensely on our Faith to trudge through.
As a young girl, when I read scriptures about waiting on God, the concept of spiritually waiting felt incredibly passive. I imagined sitting back peacefully and letting God handle everything until it was ready, almost like waiting for an order at a restaurant. However, as I lived a little more life and got some of that good ol’ on-the-Christ-following-job experience, I came to understand how much wading happens amid our waiting. Exactly what does that mean besides a lovely play on words? Well…we have our ancestors to help us out with this one…
Some of you can relate to a childhood like mine, growing up in a little country Black church in the South in the 1900s. If your church experience was similar, no matter how progressive Kirk Franklin and his lil’ friends were becoming with their “radical” gospel music, each Sunday we had a designated moment in our service where we sang a hymn from the unforgettable, red-bound New National Baptist Hymnal. As a kid, I didn’t get it. I mean, why sing these old, tired songs when we could be jammin’ out to God’s Property, right? But, oh, when they said we would understand it better by and by, they meant that, because now that I am older and wiser, it’s those hymns that get me through. Their words, melodies, and stories carry such meaning for our communities. And to be honest, as much as I love my new-age Spotify Rhythm & Praise playlist, as I feel the gravity of where we are as a nation, world, and people (again), I find myself right back at the hymns of our ancestors for hope, perspective, and encouragement.
A few years ago, I felt so compelled to reconnect with our hymns and pass their empowerment and wisdom onto my child that I purchased an African American Heritage Hymnal to keep in our home. As I wade through the weight we all feel these days, a hymn many of us know comes to mind: Wade in the Water.
Wade in the water,
Wade in the water, children,
wade in the water.
God’s gonna trouble the water.
(Hymn #676, African American Heritage Hymnal, 2001)
Growing up, I knew this hymn as the baptism song, sung to ease an individual into the baptismal pool at our church. But this hymn's true meaning and power lie in its historical context, all of which parallels the tone of our anchor scripture this week. This spiritual, known as a jubilee song, is traced to enslaved Black/African/African American individuals and was used by Harriet Tubman herself. Harriet, a freedom leader, abolitionist, and Underground Railroad conductor, used many spirituals to relay messages to enslaved folks as she attempted to guide them to liberation. This song, in particular, was used to alert those escaping enslavement to get off the trail and into the water so dogs and slavecatchers couldn’t sniff out their path, since walking through water did not leave a scent dogs could follow [1].
In this way, wading was both active and intentional. They didn’t sit or float in the water; they moved through the water mindfully to preserve the path they had taken. The times we face now cannot be compared at all to the times of our ancestors. There is no comparison; nevertheless, something about our present times feels, at the very least, reminiscent of these moments, as reflected in the meaning of the song Wade in the Water and the sentiments expressed in our anchor scripture. To pass through this season of fear, division, hatred, and erasure and to preserve ourselves and our communities, we will have to wade in these turbulent waters.
So, how can we wade through the weight and wait in modern times? Continuing in the spirit of our ancestors, we foremost need to stay connected and grounded together. The Underground Railroad would not have existed without deep collective commitment. Furthermore, these powerful spirituals wouldn’t have been effective then, or later passed through generations without connection and community. Ancient wisdom reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” (quoted as an African Proverb). The battle we're in right now is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. And to sustain ourselves and go the long distance, we will need to foster a few meaningful relationships in our lives: Our relationships with a) The Holy Trinity, b) Ourselves, and c) Our Communities. It’s important to note these relationships are interconnected and often form and evolve in interwoven ways.
Here are some perspectives and ideas on how we can remain connected:
Holy Trinity | We must be spiritually grounded by any means necessary. The great thing about our God is that we can connect with him in many ways.
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Ourselves | The vehicle between connecting with God and connecting with others is our mind-body-spirit. If we don’t care for our mind-body-spirit, it’s impossible to care for or even be healthily connected with others. As we connect with God, our Spirits will be nurtured, but we also have to care for our physical and mental health. Prioritizing our minds and bodies might include:
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Our Communities | There are multiple layers and levels of connecting with others. Connection can look many ways, whether through in-person engagement, phone calls, text messages, virtual meetings, social media, and/or other media. Being open to different ways of connecting and having variety is most important this season. Here are a few aspects of community as ideas for connection:
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Plainly put, like our ancestors, we need God, ourselves, and each other to get through the remainder of this season and the years to come. So, as we enter a new week and a new month, let us not wither away in disconnection and isolation but instead wade thoughtfully, lovingly, and purposefully together.
Reflection
What is resonating with you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from the Holy Trinity to help you wade both internally and collectively?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Tuesday: Psalm 33:20-22
Wednesday: Psalm 86
Thursday: Psalm 107:1-3
Friday: Jeremiah 29:11-14
Saturday: Romans 12:9-21
Sunday: Romans 15:13
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Anytime you get more than a couple of Black women together,
you're creating this powerful mechanism for change.”
Kimberly Bryant
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