Deep Waters

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you."

~ Isaiah 43:2 NLT ~

     "God brings you through deep waters because He knows your doubts can't drown on dry ground." 

- Pastor Stephen Furtick, "Creating Separation"

I've never been a fan of deep water. It scares me. When I was younger, I would stand at the edge of the shallow end, and if my feet began to slip out from under me I would panic. I would make my way around the edge of the pool by holding tightly the sides, and if my fingers began to slip I would panic. When my mom tried to teach me how to float she would hold me just above the water and tell me to relax, but as soon as she let go I would panic. There's something about being in the midst of something more powerful than you. When it overtakes you and you lose control, it can be really scary. It's the same way with God. He's so big, so powerful. And when we surrender to His will and way in our lives, it's like we can feel our legs starting to come out from under us. We can feel our fingers slipping.  The water starts rising above our head, the current starts to carry us away, and it is terrifying. But do do you know what I eventually learned? I learned to trust my mom. Eventually, after a lot of flailing and failing, I learned to float. All I had to do was take a deep breath, lift my body up above the water, relax, and let the water carry me. It's so peaceful to just float above the water and let yourself be carried by something bigger and more powerful than you. That's how it feels in the arms of God. That's how it feels when you ultimately surrender to His call and discover the peace that surpasses all understanding. Not only did I learn to float, but I also learned that if I slipped into the deep end, all I had to do was start kicking my feet and moving my arms. I had to put forth some effort, but it was possible to stay above the water, and it was worth it. Those times when I let go of my firm grip on the edge, those moments when I let go of my fear and just jumped right in - that's when I had the most fun. I learned to swim. I learned to trust. We miss out on so much when we spend our lives in the shallow end, consumed by fear. There's so much more to see and explore just beyond the borders of our comfort zone. We are capable of so much more than we choose to settle for. The power of Christ working in our lives can take us deeper than our feet could ever wander, further than our minds could ever imagine. 

When I think about deep waters, I think about the Israelite's standing at the edge of the Red Sea, looking out at the waters, knowing their enemies were approaching quickly, and feeling completely overwhelmed. They were so consumed by their doubts and fears that they were ready and willing to admit defeat, turn back, and return to the bondage of slavery. Why is that we will surrender to the will of the enemy more quickly than we will surrender to the will of God? It's because our minds can't even fathom what God is capable of. The Israelite's only saw two options: return to slavery and live, or stay trapped at the edge of this water and die. But our God is a God who makes a way where there seems to be know way. Surrendering to His will means surrendering to option #3 - which requires trusting in what you cannot see, to do what seems impossible. We serve a God who has the power to separate deep waters with the breath of His Spirit so that we can walk across on dry ground. We serve a God who can release the walls of water at any moment so that the fears and doubts of our past are drowned in the depth of the sea. This is why He calls us to deep waters. This is how He displays His glory. This is how He shows the magnitude, the depth, of His love and grace. Could God have found an easier way to get the Israelite's to safety? Absolutely. He probably could have found them a place to hide out, or maybe He could have taken them along a different path. They may have escaped, but they would have continued to live in fear, knowing their enemies could reappear at any moment. If God had chose a more feasible path, they may have thought they made it out by their own strengths and abilities. But God does the impossible, so we know it is Him at work in us. God does the impossible so that our fears and doubts cannot resurface. God does the impossible so that we will learn to trust Him.

When I think about trusting God in deep waters, I think about Peter. It's easy to step out when God's holding the water back for you and you're walking across on dry ground. It's another thing to step out on the water, in the midst of a storm nonetheless. A lot of times people tend to give Peter a hard time in this passage. They use it as a "what not to do" kind-of message by focusing on the fact that he eventually took his eyes of Jesus and began to sink. But I choose to focus on what Peter did right. The strength of his faith amazes me, and I admire his so much for what he does in this passage. What I love about Peter is not just what he did by stepping out of the boat, but I think a lot of his faith came from the words he spoke. He says, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." Peter knew what Jesus could do. He had seen him calm the storm before. He could have easily said, "Lord, if it's really you, come to us and calm this storm." But he didn't, Peter wanted to go deeper. He saw where Jesus was, and He wanted to be there. He saw what Jesus could do, and He wanted to do it. That is what we are called to do as Christians. We are called to be like Christ. Jesus didn't come to this earth to suffer and die so that we could stay in the boat and call him to come rescue us when we got in trouble. He came to this earth to suffer and die so that we could receive the power of the Holy Spirit. He came to this earth to suffer and die so that we might take up our crosses and follow him. He came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. He came because He had a purpose and a mission for us. Jesus wants to go deeper, He has called us outside of our comfort zones. That's where He can use us. It requires trust, it requires obedience, and it requires faith. Are we really willing to say, "Lord, if it's really you, tell us to come to you walking on the water?" Because we already know what Jesus' answer is going to be. He's going to say, "Yes, Come." Then there's no turning back. Like Peter, we'll have to step out of the boat and start walking on the water - something beyond ourselves, something that seems impossible, something only God could do. And like Peter, when we'll eventually take our eyes off Jesus and start paying attention to the wind and waves around us. When that happens, we'll give in to our fears and begin to sink. It's not going to be easy. He didn't promise it would be easy, but He did promise to be our strength in times of weakness. It's not going to be comfortable. He didn't promise it would be comfortable, but He did promise the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. Jesus knows that we will stumble and fall. He knows we will fail. And he is ready to reach out and save us when the need arises. When Peter cried, "Save me, Lord" Jesus did not hesitate to reach out and save him. Scripture says He immediately reached out and grabbed him. 

Jesus doesn't call us out to deep waters for us to drown. He calls us out to deep waters so that He can drown our doubts. Jesus used Peter as an example. When they got back in the boat, all the disciples who had been convinced they had seen nothing other than a ghost, fell down and worshiped, declaring Jesus to be the Son of God. That's what God can do through you, if you'll just step outside your comfort zone. That's what God can do through you, if you'll just ask Him to take you deeper. How much faith does it take to step outside of a boat and walk on waves in the middle of a storm? Not a lot. In fact, when Peter began to sink, Jesus asked him "Why do you have so little faith? Why did you doubt me?" Look at what Peter did with so little faith. If we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Nothing is impossible when we put our hope and trust in the power of Christ working through us. Just a few chapters later, Jesus tells Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." If we really want God to use us, if we really want to make a difference in His Kingdom - We have to have a little faith. We have to step out on our mustard seed faith. We have to trust God to do what seems impossible. We have to obey and follow where He leads. He won't abandon us. He promised to be with us through the deep waters. He promised we wouldn't drown in the rivers of difficulty.

As the boat drifts further away from shore, as the winds rage and the waves crash around us, we can rest assured. We have an Anchor to hold us firm and secure. We have a Light shining in the distance, illuminating our way to safety. We have a God above us who spoke the wind and waves into existence. We have a Savior among us, walking towards us on the water. He is calling us out. He is calling us to Him. He has power to calm the storm with His still small voice. He will reach out and save us when our strength fails. All around us, God is with us. He will never leave or forsake us. Why fear the wind and waves, when the God who controls them lives within us? It's time to step out. It's time to go deeper.

"Lord, if it's really you, tell us to come to you walking on the water."