Free Diving

“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”
Luke 5:4

When my heart whispered, "Seek God," my whole being replied, "I'm seeking him!"
Psalm 27:8

This weekend I went snorkeling with a friend on a large lake near town. I’ve never snorkeled before but it was a warm beautiful day and the water was cool, refreshing, and inviting. I strapped on fins, goggles, and a snorkel and launched out into the shallow waters along the water’s edge. After some spitting and snorting and swallowing some of the bluish green lake water I quickly got the hang of it. Once submerged the world melted away and it was just me, the waves, a tree stump here and there, and tiny fish darting in and out of small coves of rocks. I loved the exploring and wondering what was just ahead of me around the bend.

After a while we took a break on the boat we used to get to our spot and that is when my friend asked me if I wanted to free dive. Free diving is when you hold your breath and go down as deep as you can along the bottom of the lake. I was nervous but wasn’t going to let that stop me from trying.

My friend showed me how to breath to fill my lungs to capacity and after a couple practices we took our first dive. The whole time I’m going down I’m holding my nose and every few seconds popping my ears to equalize the water pressure. The first dive was only 15 feet! My biggest fear was running out of air before I got to the surface! Duh, you say, but I really couldn’t tell how far down I was to know how far up I had to go to get a breath of air! On about the third dive around 27 feet down I swam up, (or is that swam down?), on the biggest fish I’d ever seen in a fresh water lake. I shot up to the surface shouting and excited about what I had discovered on the lake bottom.
Snorkeling along the water’s edge revealed tiny little fish; but it was in the deep of the lake where the big fish were to be found.

The personality and character of God can be compared to the lake we were in. Most people are content snorkeling and exploring along the surface of God. There is much to be discovered and it is beautiful with surprises waiting around every bend and beneath each rock but the outer edge is only a slice, a cliff note, a scratching the surface of what the lake is all about. It is the same with God. Many are content with their salvation experience and maintain themselves with a weekly dose of sermon here, a daily 5 minute devotional there and they’re done, satisfied. They have only begun to know their Heavenly Father! There is so much more of God waiting to be revealed!

God is waiting for you leave the waters edge and launch out into the deep. He is waiting to show you secrets and wonders of His character that cannot be revealed on the surface of Sunday sermons, midweek services, and five minute devotionals alone. God wants a deep, personal, and intimate relationship with you. He wants to share secrets and mysteries with you that are only revealed to His closest friends. He is calling to you to leave the snorkel behind, take a deep breath, and plunge into the Glory Cloud letting Him guide you by revelation into the depths of His perfect character, awesome holiness, immeasurable greatness, everlasting love and so much more.