Having grown up in an area surrounded by natural mountain lakes I am familiar with deep water. Therefore, from a young age I respected the fact that there was much water beneath me. This perspective demanded acknowledgment, wisdom, and a certain amount of caution when heading into those waters.
In Luke 5, Jesus tells Simon to take his fishing boat out into the deep water and let down his nets. We are all familiar with this Scripture and how Simon, who would later be known as Peter, questioned Jesus as to why he would put out his nets at this hour of the day when he had been unsuccessful all night. Here Jesus was telling Simon, a seasoned fisherman, where and when it was best to catch fish, and although he was arguing, he did obey. Of course, we know that Simon was overwhelmed by the amount of fish that were caught in his nets that day. Clearly, Jesus was right and Peter was humbled.
This particular Scripture takes us outside of the obvious box. Jesus wasn’t just asking Peter to go into the deep water, He was asking him to go there with Him. Jesus called those fish to those nets, but that is something that He could have demonstrated in the shallow water. From Peter’s perspective it would have still been miraculous, but Jesus chose to take Peter deeper to give him a valuable lesson and a personal message. Sometimes being in the shallow places just won’t do!
I wonder if there are times when we are hesitate to go deeper with God. Is is possible that we are intimidated by what He may ask of us? Sometimes it is less about what He asks and more about what He reveals. When He wants to reveal a deeper understanding to us it often requires stepping into a different level of intimacy and trust to follow Him. We certainly may feel vulnerable, out of our depth, but He will be with us. In order for deep to call unto deep we must be in that deep place. We many not always feel that we are safe, but we should know that the One who calls us to this place has not brought us to merely tread water.
Psalm 42:7 CSB Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me.