Stepping Into Deep Waters

He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through. Ezekiel 47:3-5 (MSG)

My father-in-law recently opened my eyes to this scripture and I immediately fell in love with the symbolism contained within it. When we first enter our new life in Christ, we step into the waters ankle deep. Some of us like it there. It is safe, comfortable and not scary at all. Nothing is challenging us, so we seem to like where were at. We can have the protection of the ever-present beach if we feel like our Christian walk is not so peachy or when we see a big wave coming at us. However, most feel a bit of nudging to go deeper with our relationship with Christ. So we wade out to our knees. For some others, this depth is fine. It still takes little or no faith to stand in water that is knee-deep. We get to feel the water, we can splash around and play, but the commitment of it is negligible. Again, some Christians find it comfortable to stay here, but most wade out to the waist-deep waters of faith. Still comfortable and secure, it contains a bit more excitement, especially if a big wave of circumstance comes rolling in. It takes effort to not get pulled by the current, but usually we can keep ourselves upright with little effort. Some faith is required, but we still can have full confidence that we can pull ourselves out if necessary. The river bed is still firm under our feet.

Then the fourth level comes into play. This time, the man led Ezekiel into the middle of the river, where the water flowed over his head, where swimming is required to stay afloat. No one, no matter how tall, could possibly walk through it. Waves can toss you. The current is strong, and with no solid footing, can easily pull you under or sweep you away. This is the level of faith I aspire to have. This part of the river requires us to have complete faith in God. Faith this deep is not based on what we have to give to God, but what He will guide us through. This is when we stop focusing on what we can do, how fast we can save ourselves, how quickly we can escape and where we start relying on God, what He can do and how dependent we are on Him for every second of our life. At this point, we do not second-guess God. When the Holy Spirit prompts, we listen and obey. If we have to give up friends, family, our home, our hometown or whatever, we do it, knowing that God has our life preserver ready to go. We are in full bore, over our heads and we are living on faith alone. This is the part of the river I want to be in. I want to have the excitement of knowing my next move has already been ordained. I want to know that I am in sync with God, that His will is guiding my actions and there is no way back. Scary? Yes. Exciting? Certainly. But the rewards, oh! the rewards! You will never want to look back at the shore.

God, infuse my life with the faith that leads me into deep waters where You are my only focus and where You have complete control. Help me to relinquish my own will in favor of Yours. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher