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Aug 17, 2024 06:00am

Going Deep

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I am a midwest girl, who’s surrounded by the Ozarks on one side and the plains of Kansas on the other. So, when it comes time for vacation, there’s one thing that calls my name every time: the beach. There’s just something special about the beach that makes my heart happy. When my family of five is at the beach, my guys stay close to the shore while my daughter and I love to go deeper. One time, we got a chance to experience the deep through “snuba” diving. “Snuba” basically combines snorkeling and scuba diving into one cool adventure. We were given special masks to supply us with oxygen so that, while connected to a hose, we would be able to swim deeper and explore the reefs below. I was so excited! As much as I love hanging out by the shore’s edge soaking in some sun, I am always drawn to the deep.

Then came the part when I actually had to put my mask on and do it. As the oxygen came through my mask, my anxieties rose. My mouth felt dry. I couldn’t regulate my breathing. My heart was racing at the thought of swimming underwater with this contraption on my face. What if it failed? What if I took in water? What was I thinking? I can’t do this! Friends, I had never had a panic attack before, but I had one right there in the water next to the boat. While my daughter and other divers were living their best mermaid life, I was swimming doggy style at the top, soaking up all their oxygen in my hyperventilating lungs. When I managed to go underwater (as in a few inches from the surface) they all turned around and beckoned me to come to them, like a mother would to a child. But when I started to swim deeper, the same fear hit me, and I retreated to the surface. I watched as they explored the ocean floor. You could tell they were experiencing things down deep that I could not. I was equal parts jealous and equal parts frozen in fear.

Then, my daughter left the pack, swam to me, and beckoned me to follow her. The sight of my daughter coaxing me to come compelled me to trust my oxygen and let go (along with a whole lot of prayers to Jesus to save me). Bit by bit, I followed her to the group. Bit by bit, my breathing calmed. After a few minutes, I too was living my best mermaid life (keeping a watchful eye behind me because, well, sharks). Going deep in this snuba experience will go down as one of the most incredible moments in my life.

Maybe this is why God used deeper waters often in Scripture. One of those moments just happens to be one of my favorite Bible stories. It’s a story that involved four fishermen: Andrew, Simon Peter, James, and John. These men were cleaning their fishing nets after an unsuccessful night of fishing. And it was that exact moment a man named Jesus showed up with a crowd of people following Him. Jesus helped Himself into one of those fishing boats so He could better teach and preach to all the people. He even asked the boat’s owner, Simon Peter, to push Him out into the shallow waters to help Him do this.

After Jesus’ sermon was done, He looked to Simon and said something interesting: “Put out into deeper waters and let down your nets for a catch.”

If I were Simon, I might be thinking Huh? A catch? In the heat of the day? That’s not when the fish are biting! And yet, Simon agreed. You see, something interesting had already happened. Through the power of John the Baptist’s ministry, all four men knew Jesus by reputation, and a few of them had even met Jesus. God used these experiences, along with an unsuccessful night’s fishing, to get their hearts primed and ready for this moment.

So when Jesus asked Simon to push out into deeper water, Simon Peter obeyed. (Oh friends, so much good comes from obeying Jesus!) And after he lowered his nets, something miraculous happened: he got the catch of a lifetime.

In this moment, a few things hit Simon Peter hard. Right there in the boat, he fell to his knees before Jesus saying, “I am a sinful man!” This spiritual poverty opened his eyes to see Jesus as a Savior from his sins.

That was when Jesus said something beautiful and profound: “Don’t be afraid . . . from now on, you will be catching men.” Once they got to shore, those four men left their very predictable lives as fishermen and chose very unpredictable lives as “fishers for men.” Following Jesus made all the difference in their lives.

You see friends, we can’t simply believe in Jesus as Savior from our sins but live our lives in the shallow end, giving way to fears and anxieties, doubts and hesitations. Just like my snuba diving, we can miss out on a great adventure in the deep. A life-changing adventure.

Good things happen in the deep. It’s out there Jesus beckons to you through your life’s circumstances. It’s out there where He grows your trust. It’s out there He proves His faithfulness. Consider this your call, friend, to go deep with Jesus and experience Him and life in a whole new way.

A miraculous sort of way.