Into the Deep
On June 18, 2023, five men set off on an expedition into the heart of the North Atlantic to see the Titanic wreckage. But about halfway down to the ocean bed, their small submersible vehicle, called Titan, suddenly and tragically imploded. Why were those men willing to make such a dangerous descent to the ocean's depths in that small, makeshift submarine to see the ruins of an ancient shipwreck?
Space travel is another example of humanity's willingness to jeopardize health and safety to go beyond the boundaries of God's habitat for us. Though astronauts travel to outer space in more carefully engineered and crafted vehicles than OceanGate's Titan, they still experience tremendous uncertainty. Yet despite the dangers, people routinely rocket outside the Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere in ships that often suffer mishaps and failures, with no assurance that they will be able to return to Earth. Why?
Even for those of us who do not relish the thought nor have the opportunity to tour the bottom of the ocean or visit outer space, we all take relational, emotional, and financial risks in our efforts to know the complex beings who share Earth with us – other people.
Whether seeking to unravel underwater mysteries, wondering what lies outside Earth's orbit, or forming attachments to others, our desire to "know" is a clue to why God created us. He made us to know him and be known by him—deep calls out to deep. Our curiosity about the world and Creation is one way we attempt to understand and connect with our Creator. Satisfying our desire to know God is the underlying (if unconscious) motivation behind much of what we do and feel.
Knowing God means more than learning facts about him. To know God is to move beyond theology and on to ever-deepening realms of life lived with him. Simply learning about God’s attributes and works (whether through Bible reading, church attendance, people, etc.), without living in and with him is a recipe for shallow faith.
Of course, we do not have to know much about God to know that his ways and thoughts are far beyond our own. Even the idea of knowing him is overwhelming; it is easy to believe it is impossible – but he refutes this lie. He has made himself known through Creation and Scripture (the Bible). He sent Christ to live among us, and Jesus is the exact representation of God. Once we receive Christ, God even gives us the Holy Spirit, who "guides us into all truth (John 16:13)." God has provided everything we need to go deeper with him. And yet, we resist.
We walk around with a persistent, seemingly unquenchable ache inside, and can live an entire lifetime without acknowledging or seeking what truly quenches it. We wrongly attribute the feeling to a longing for purpose, human love, or happiness, then wonder why it still lingers even after we experience those things. Even when we know the deepest desires of our hearts can only be satisfied by God, we still fight the temptation to remain on the surface of our faith, snorkeling. But our souls are desperate to experience more than a distant acquaintance with God. He wants us to enjoy the fruits of a growing relationship with him – gifts we can only experience by diving deeper.
I love to snorkel, floating around on top of the ocean and enjoying glimpses of its secrets and wonders. Staying on the surface helps protect me from powerful underwater currents. It is comfortable – I remain connected to familiar surroundings and do not have to rely on an oxygen tank to breathe. Diving deeper seems scary. Would I be able to bear the weight of the ocean above me? Could a current take me far from where I started? Will I be frightened when I see things bigger than myself? Will the challenges and pressures of going so far below the surface reveal things about me that are hard to accept – my fears, insecurities, or worse? Will the things I discover in the depths disappoint me?
Snorkeling on the surface of knowing God might feel safer and more comfortable than going deeper, but truly knowing God involves taking that risk. It requires scuba diving. Scuba diving with God means not being content with hearing about the experiences others have with him in the deep, but making the dive ourselves. It means living and sharing every aspect of life with God, with awareness of his presence, obedience to his commands, reliance on his power, and communion with him. The God of the universe, the Creator of all things, wants to make himself known to us in our everyday, ordinary lives. He wants to reveal the deep mysteries of his love and character. He wants to share his glory with us. These mind-blowing truths make it worth overcoming our trepidation. We can even ask him to help us.
Prayer is a great way to begin the journey below the surface. Participating with God to go deeper requires faith, trust, and communication. We have to believe he will help us when he shows us things our finite minds struggle to understand. We have to be willing to admit that God knows everything, and we know very little. We must give up our illusion of control to follow his ways and directions rather than our own. And we have to set aside our fear of being swallowed up by his majesty and glory. Plus, it helps to remember that we are not going to the depths in some weak, man-made craft that implodes under pressure. We are going in the arms of God through the Spirit of God to the heart of God.
When we are willing to let God take us swimming in the infinite ocean of his character, presence, and works, he reveals mysteries. Treasures are uncovered, resulting in feelings of joy and wonder. Trust grows and fear recedes. His attributes come alive, no longer simply facts on a page or stories from someone else's life. We begin to yearn for him, no longer content to merely snorkel now that we know the rich gifts he has in store for us down in the deep.
Sadly, it is easy to allow the busy work of life, complacency, fear of the unknown, and shallow pursuits to quench our curiosity about God. It is easy to let fear of the unknown keep us in the shallows. Once, I went snorkeling off the coast of Florida with my oldest son. While we were swimming around, he dove beneath the surface (ironically, to see a statue of Jesus underwater). Suddenly, an enormous fish appeared behind him that could easily have swallowed him whole. It was genuinely terrifying. But we do not need to approach the mysterious depths of God's character with fear. Because where Jesus is, there is no fear.
The only thing standing in the way of us going deeper into the ocean of God's heart is our willingness to dive.
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Cover photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels