Life can be rather shallow. We are consumed with the latest electronic gadgetry, bigger houses, and nicer cars. Being seen in the right clothes or the right shoes can make or break our entire day. Image is everything, and we spend a great deal of time and money to make certain the person we present is the one we want others to see as opposed to who we truly are.
Our conversations lean to the superficial, and are often confined to 140 characters or less. There is a serious lack of depth to many of our lives. Is it any wonder that we struggle to comprehend the depth of a Holy God?
To know God is to “go deep”. There is nothing pretentious or surface about our Lord. Everything He does, He does with purpose and great forethought. He intimately understands the inner workings of His creation and He revels in collaborating with those He created. If only we would enjoy getting to know Him as much as He enjoys learning about us. He created us as creatures of freewill. We have the opportunity to develop our personalities around the unique blend of gifts and talents He has given to each of us. What we do with those gifts, the person we become, is the person He deeply longs to know.
We have been content to know only a little of God. Going to church on Sundays and listening to a sermon is never going to reveal the whole of His character to you. Reading the Bible for a few minutes each day will not enable you to grasp how awesome He truly is. Even saying a prayer each night before bed will not allow you to comprehend His glory. We need each of these things and more if we ever hope to draw near to Him and gain a glimpse of His Holiness. God is not someone we can casually get to know; like any relationship, we must spend significant time in His presence and talk for hours. We must immerse ourselves in Him.
Imagine wading in a creek; it’s pleasant and relaxing, but you have no sense of the power that fuels its existence. This is what most of our relationships are like. If, however, you go swimming in a river you gain some sense of the depth and distance of the water that surrounds you. As you strain against the current you can exhaust yourself just to stay in place. While you are moving neither forward nor back, you are aware of the water that continues to flow all around you and embrace the struggle because of the joy of feeling the river move against you. Our deeper relationships are like the river. They are hard work to maintain, but the benefits and feelings we experience within them are worth the struggle. Now picture yourself in the middle of the ocean. There is no end or beginning in sight. Powerful waves buffet you, rendering you helpless and subject to their every whim. There is no perceivable bottom. It is, in every way, endless. Without help, you will be overcome by the sheer power of the water; you cannot survive it on your own. This is what it is like to experience God. He is infinite and all powerful. His holiness would be unbearable and crushing except for the intervention of His Son on our behalf. Jesus calms the waves and permits us the pleasure and honor of simply sinking into the deep love of our Father. We are captivated but not capsized; we are pressed but not crushed.
When you make the effort to truly understand the character of God, to commune with Him and bask in His glory, He will make Himself known to you. His desire is that you would call to Him always and share in the glory of His kingdom. His love is beyond our understanding; His passion too consuming for us to bear. He will not be known in passing, but only in full. Don’t be content with simple head knowledge of God. Determine to dive in and immerse yourself. Close your eyes and take the leap; roll in the deep love and power of the living God and drink of all He has to offer you.