Thursday, February 26, 2009

DEPTH


As I look out to the ocean below me I can’t help but marvel at the incredible shades of blue that the ocean is presently displaying for those who will stop to see them. Near the shore it’s pale with little brilliance; but, as you move out toward the horizon, the shades become brighter, fuller, and with a luster that can take your breath away. I’m told that there are several factors that contribute to this phenomenon – direction of the sun, the tide conditions, and the depth of the water. What a gift to have this view for two weeks – I don’t think I could ever tire of it.

Since we’ve arrived in Barbados we’ve been enraptured by the movement of God all around us, within us, and through us. Everyday has been miraculous, and I’m not exaggerating (as I would assume many of you who know me might be thinkingJ!). It’s not the kind of miraculous that you can send in a newsletter; it’s the kind that makes you say, like Isaiah when he saw the Lord, “I am undone!” Every encounter has been surprisingly real, full of mystery, and overflowing with the Life of Jesus.

So, the deeper the water gets, the darker the shade of blue. The light that is emitted from the sun can only penetrate so deep, so I suppose the spectrum becomes shorter and that causes the color appears darker. Ezekiel 47 has long been a chapter of scripture that has both challenged and inspired me. It’s a picture of what God had planned for His church in the New Covenant relationship that was to come. I would encourage you to go read it as it’s much too long to paste here on the BLOG. The picture in the chapter is of a river flowing from the temple of God. The water is full of healing and wherever it goes, it produces life. The prophet encounters an angel who leads him into this river. And as he wades into the water, he encounters different depths of experience.

At first, the water is up to his ankles, then his knees, then his chest, and then finally over his head. The deeper he goes into the water, the more he must stop relying on himself, his experience, and his knowledge. He must trust. He must be led. He must be willing to risk the possibility of being swept away by the current.

I think many believers have been limited to an “ankle only” depth of experience with Jesus. They find themselves in the river (Jesus) and begin to experience the refreshment of tired and hot feet being soothed by cool water. But, sometimes underneath, the ground is rocky and painful. So, in their confusion and discomfort, they decide, “this is far enough.” I can relate, I have often been deceived into believing that going deeper will only prove to destroy me. I’ve been wrong, many times.

As we sit amongst these dear people of Barbados hearing their stories, seeing their tears and their fears, and listening to their longing for more depth in Jesus, I am undone. God’s pursuit of us is blatant and persistent. He is not willing for an ankle-deep relationship with us. He wants to sweep us off our feet and to allow the river of Life to overwhelm us. These Bajan lovers of Life have captured my heart and poduced a deeper experience of grace from within the shadows of my heart.

I don’t know what today will hold, but as I glance again out to the water, I recognize that there is one sure thing – like the old hyms says:

“Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free.
Rolling as a mighty ocean, in it’s fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of Thy love.
Leading onward, leading Homeward,
To thy glorious rest above."

Have a great day…till next time…

2 comments:

  1. I love how you write....how you capture everything and then articulate it. I love that God intersected our lives in the summer of '99 and had no idea then where all His ministry would take us together. Thanks for your friendship and your example to me.

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  2. Simply brilliant, my friend.

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