There’s a new song out called “How He Loves Us” by Kim Walker. In the song there is a line that says, “if grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking”. I really like that. If grace is an ocean, I definitely want to be on my way down, down to the deep.
I was at a retreat this weekend put on by Cloud Walk and the speaker was a man named Jack Taylor. In my opinion he is one of the leading father figures of the modern faith. He has experienced so much of life at 76 years old – he’s unfortunately lost two wives to cancer, he’s had 4 heart surgeries, he’s led countless people to God, has preached hundreds of sermons, has written over a dozen books, he’s seen tons of miracles and has lived a life of great faith. He’s spent time with giants of our faith like Corrie ten Boom, Bertha Smith (the famous missionary to China) and Peter Lord. He spoke to us on The Kingdom of God for three sessions. My faith took a deep dive this past weekend.
After the retreat during my time with God, I felt like he was telling me to be concerned with depth….depth in my relationship with God, depth in my love and service for others, etc. Depth as opposed to breadth. The word that kept rattling around in my head was “fathom”. A fathom is a unit of measure of the depth of water (about 6 feet).
I think one way to insure we go “deeper” in our faith, in our love for others and in our love for God is to stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants. For me Jack Taylor is a giant of the modern faith. If I stand on his shoulders and jump off into the ocean of grace, I will go deeper than if I jump into the water from the shore. I believe the taller the person of faith I hang out with, the deeper I go.
To me the ultimate purpose of going “deep” is not to be wise, to say clever spiritual things, to be smart or to know a bunch of scripture….it’s to have a closer relationship with God and as a result better serve and love those around me. So….
- How deep do you want to go in your relationship with God; how deep do you want to sink in the ocean of grace?
- Do you have a priest, a small group leader, a friend, a favorite writer who can be that person for you?
- Do you make quality time for them in your busy week?
If you don’t have people in your life that are taller than you, then your leaps into the ocean of grace will result in small splashes just along the surface. Jump off the high dive, jump off a mountain side, leap to the ocean below with vigor…go deep and see what God does.
3 comments On The High Dive of Faith
Jack
Great word brother. I pray that we all may catch the vision of going deep with God. James says “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”. The only hesitation is on our part; He is there waiting. Christ said “Come to Me all who are weary and I will give you rest ……”. I pray that we all will go deep. God bless you my friend.
Steve
Good one, Brother. I estimate that most of us could use some revelation of what it actually looks like to go deeper rather than broader – as we’ve mostly been hooked by the idea of doing more in this culture of ours. If you get any glimpes of what deeper looks like practically, share them with us, okay?
A sure way to get deeper with God, is to operate properly in one of HIS commandments…keep the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy!”
The good news of the gospel, is to know that we can rest in HIM. That’s FAITH!
I suggest that we all make positive strides to rest in HIM all Sabbath Day long. As HE wrote, no work that day, no possible interruptions outside of resting in HIM.
Like a bare naked child, reach up and out to HIM, and ask that he hold you quietly all day long on the Sabbath…rest quietly in HIS lap and believe that HE has you in HIS arms…loving on you! No words need to be spoken…He knows what’s in your heart…Receiving your love, trust, and companionship is something HE rarely sees from you/us.
When the day is over, climb down out of HIS arms and lap, and thank HIM for the Holy day you were blessed with!