As I was looking out over the ocean the other day the Lord impressed upon me to focus on the waves. I felt like He wanted me to describe them. “Well,” I thought, “the sun is shining through the transparent waves beautifully, their sounds are boisterous, and the movement of the emerald green water flowing in and out is simply breathtaking.”
After dwelling on the waves a bit, my focus moved to the deeper water and how it differed from the shallow area. Further out from the shore the water is a deeper blue. It’s much calmer, more tranquil. There’s still movement, but not as impetuous as the crashing waves surging upon the beach.
Then the revelation came upon me: most of us Christians are living in the shallows, not the deep. Our lives seem beautiful, even breathtaking, to the onlooker. But they tend to have an extreme swelling up and down — a wave action — sometimes causing us to experience violent crashes and collisions. The shallows can be a dangerous place.
Think about boats, for a moment. The shallows are not a safe place for them. Running aground can wreck them to pieces. Sand bars, which are common in inlets, are some of the trickiest areas to maneuver for boats. Timing is everything. If it’s wrong, you may ruin your vessel. Much anxiety results from the shallows.
Now think about ships in the deep. There’s plenty of room to maneuver. It’s a big wide ocean! Lots of space. In contrast, this is a very safe place for them. In fact, during hurricanes here in Florida, the Navy actually takes their ships out to sea so they won’t come ashore during the storm. Currents and swells are much smoother where it’s deep.
Psalms 42:7 says, “Deep calls to deep,” and I believe that’s the Lord calling us today — to go deep. As the waves crash over us and our lives get vehement with circumstances, we are called to go into the silence of the deep. Yes, we cannot touch our feet on the bottom, but there we are wholly in the arms of our Beloved. It’s a dive of faith.
Coming back to my chair as I overlooked the ocean, I glanced back and forth from the waves breaking on the shore to the deep blue horizon. Am I living in the shallows or the deep? The waves are beautiful, but it’s noisy. It’s looks more peaceful further out.
I believe Father God wants us to be at rest in Him, in quietness and confidence. (Is. 30:15) We have to move out of the shallows to find that place where deep calls to deep. The world is getting more tumultuous day by day. Let’s go deep, my friend. Let’s go deep.