Gods ocean of love…No man can measure or even fathom for that matter the width, the length, the height and depth of Gods love. Its interesting because as Christians we are called to walk by faith, for it was by faith that we were saved through grace for it is the power of God. I love the ocean, I love the beach, and it doesn’t do me justice to just stick my toes in the water and be satisfied or refreshed. I need to dive in, I need to feel the cool water envelop me. I don’t believe there is anyone alive that will knowingly jump into the water to be refreshed and come out with an angry face. It’s just impossible to do so. No matter if the water is a bit warm or cold it is refreshing to know and feel water against your skin. And its interesting how water can be the best thing that ever happened and in the next second it can quickly do damage.
I was looking at Ezekiel 47 and God showed me some really neat truths. I’ll chop it up a bit to get to the points that God showed me. Starting from verse 3, “…he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded."
Did mom or dad ever throw you into the deep side of the pool when you were just 1? Hopefully not, but if they were wise parents they would have started you off in the shallow part of the pool. And the years that pass by would hopefully stir you to go deeper still into the deep side of the pool. Maybe even go and venture out into the ocean where the waves are. Waves…certainly something majestic but deadly if you have no idea what you are doing. I use to find myself being pounded against the reef constantly but I learned quickly from the pounding of the waves just how to conquer them. I would try and try to get over the top before it would peak but to no avail, the wave would launch me into mid-air and slam me on the surface of the water. I learned that you must go under the wave to get past the wave, you must dive deep under the wave where there is less power but calmer waters. What a profound and a powerful, powerful truth.
God starts us off in the shallows, and then draws us into deeper depths of Him. Whether we like it or not, trials is what God uses to have us grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. But we forget so easily when the crashing waves are in our life that our God is in control. As Christians I believe we forget constantly that the waves that are crashing around us, is but a tool that God uses to teach us, to show us that He loves as a Father would his child. The waves of testing it comes and it goes, but yet even more so we forget the greatest thing. That the testing of the waves and the wave itself all happens in His ocean of love. Guilty as charged we try to conquer our trials on our own strength trying to climb the wave to get over the top, instead of going under and deeper in the water, deeper into His love deeper into Christ where there is calmer waters. When the testing passes we emerge from under taking in a deep breath relieved that it has passed and looking forward to what lies ahead. If there is anything I want to get lost in, it’s the depths of God’s love.
Ezekiel had walked 1500 feet before he would reach deeper water, and yet still deeper water and yet still deeper water. I can’t help but smile at just how beautiful this picture is, to keep walking means to get deeper, to keep walking means to get even deeper, to keep walking means to get even deeper still. O that we would walk in Christ and find Him in the depths of His love. O that we would never be satisfied with being ankle deep, but submerged deep in Him deep in His love. May we be followers of Christ that put feet to faith, may we be lovers of Christ diving into His ocean of love, that we may know and confess and testify that the love of Christ, is indeed more than enough. How refreshing it is to have a heaven sent love that is supreme; how refreshing it is to know that all my trials all happen in His ocean of love; how refreshing it is to know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Dive Christian dive.
