Venture into the Deep
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. – Isaiah 43:2
Many children take swimming lessons. Usually, the instructor begins by taking the new students into shallow water so they can get used to the water
and learn some of the basic strokes. After evaluating how well the students are doing in the shallow water, the instructor tries to advance them
to the deeper water so that they can learn to swim better. In deep water, you can do things that never could be done in the shallow water—diving,
swimming under water, and even playing water games. Staying in the shallow end of the pool is good for a while, but soon the time comes for each
swimmer to venture into the deep.
Often, the instructor will help students enter the deep end of the pool by encouraging them and reassuring them of their safety. The instructor might
go out a few feet deeper than the student and then stretch out with his hands towards them and say, “Come on, you can do it. I won’t let you drown.
Just keep your eyes on me.” The student has time to contemplate his next move, thinking to himself, I like being able to touch the bottom of the
pool. Should I believe that there is something better in the deep end?
At times, I feel I can hear Jesus saying, “Come on out into the deep. I won’t let you drown. Just keep your eyes on Me.” Jesus wants to lead us deeper
into the Gospel because He knows that is where we will find more joy and fulfillment in Him. Our relationship with God will grow and we will know
Him better. We will see more clearly how He is working in our lives, and be able to do more for Him. It is wonderful! Even though it can feel scary
to venture out where we have never been before, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus will always be there to keep us safe. Following Him will
always lead to something good.
Today, let’s get away from the shallow waters and see what great things God has in store for us as we go deeper in Him.