If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This is one of my favorite leadership quotes by far. My tendency is the talk about ship-building. However, this reminds me that the immensity of the sea is what called me from the shore years ago.
This is what happened in the life of Ezekiel the prophet. He had a revelation of the immensity of who God is.
The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. -Ezekiel 47:1–3
What was God trying to teach Ezekiel? Water coming from the temple? What was all this about?
The Source
Could it be that God was trying to show him first of all that God is the source. Water makes up 3/4 of our earth. Water makes up 3/4 of our bodies. We cannot survive without it. God is the source of our lives. In moments of fear, disappointment, and anxiety, God is the one who truly gives us life. Too many times we look for our source of life in so many things that are dead and cannot sustain us.
To take this one step further, the passage says that the source of the water was the “door” of the temple. It is not coincidence that Jesus calls himself “The Door” (John 10:9). Jesus is the source of life. He brings both salvation and satisfaction.
It is interesting to me that the water itself does not change Ezekiel. Many times we are content just being near the water… singing songs about the water… reading about the water… But the reality is that we are only changed when we choose to step in.
Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.
Ankle-deep
Then Ezekiel starts getting his feet wet. Literally, up to his ankles. Have you ever went to the beach and rolled up your jeans to stand in the surf? This is what is happening to Ezekiel. He was enjoying the refreshing waters from God. He was ankle-deep.
I think this is how it is when we first come to Christ. We are amazed by the refreshing of the waters of God. We have an experience with him that is like nothing we have ever had before. We are getting our feet wet. Maybe you have recently come to Christ and you are experiencing the joy of the river! That is awesome. By faith, you have crossed from death to life. Things are beginning to change. The sky is bluer, life is more beautiful.
But this is not where the river ends. This is where it begins! God allows us to get our feet wet but then he invites us to go deeper. That is God’s desire for your life. It seems like it is easy to plateau on our walk with God. God is leading Ezekiel progressively deeper.
Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep.
Knee-deep
This next depth is up to his knees. He is experiencing more of the refreshing of the waters, but still has mobility. He can easily move in and out of the water. He is experiencing some of the benefits, without the commitment.
I was here for much of my life. I grew up going to church. I can count the number of Sundays I have not been to church on one hand. We even went to church on vacation! I tell people that as a kid I had a “Drug Problem.” Every week I was “Drug” to church, “drug” to Sunday School, “Drug” to Bible Study, “Drug” to Prayer meeting, “Drug” to choir practice. But in all of this, I was totally an ankle-deep Christian. I was physically at church, but my heart was so far away. I was quick to blend-in with the world around me, being very careful to not stand out in any way for my faith. I was terrified of not “Fitting-in” and would do just about anything to go with the crowd and be accepted. Yes, I went to church, I knew the songs, I could even quote the Bible, but I was only knee deep.
Knee-deep Christians are characterized by a lack of commitment. They want to experience all the benefits of Christ, without the commitment of Christ. When times get hard they come stand in the water, but then quickly jump back onto the comfort of the shore when the problem subsides in their lives. Ankle deep Christians are hard to distinguish from everyone else around them. If the topic ever comes up, people may even say that they didn’t even know you were a Christian. To an knee-deep Christian, faith is a private matter. It is not something that should be spoken about openly with others. Knee-deep Christians attend church when it is convenient for them. They try hard to ensure that they do not get “tied-down” to one place. They are quick to point out that there are hypocrites at church.
Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.
Waist-deep
But God leads him deeper. Deeper in the river to a place where he was up to his waist. If you are in waist deep water, you are. at a place in your walk with God that you are committed to him. You have experienced life change. No doubt, Jesus has turned your life around. But you are also in a place of safety. Others on the shore may not be able to tell it, but your feet are touching the floor.
You love Jesus, you are living for him. You don’t want to get out of the water. You are not ashamed of Jesus, but your feet are still on the floor. To put it concisely, you are still in control. It does not require much faith to live at a place where your feet are on the floor.
How much of your daily walk with God even requires faith? How much of your daily walk with God requires risk? God, why wouldn’t you be happy having Ezekiel in waist-deep water? It is so far from where he once was. It is so far from the time when he just had his feet wet. He is waist deep. That should be enough right? Is God finished? Let’s see…
Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. (Ezekiel 47:1–5 ESV)
All-in
Wow. What a sight. Can you see it? The water had risen. At every other depth he had one key part of his body dry; his head. For the first time Ezekiel was in over his head.
That is the life that God is calling us to. A life where we get in over our heads with God. A place where we relinquish control and go deep with God. A place where we trust him. A place where we see the beauty, and experience the risk. A place where we will say, “Yes” to whatever God calls us to.
What is God calling you to? It may be out of your comfort zone, it may be beyond your comprehension of what is possible.
There are moments in our lives when God interrupts us with an invitation. Your invitation may not look like mine, but you will get one if you haven’t already. An invitation to step out of your comfort zone and dive in to a God-adventure. It could be as simple as pursuing a new career, or simply walking across the room to share hope with a co-worker. It could be a new small group that you start or a story that you tell with courageous honesty.
It could be a call that you are supposed to make or a check that you are supposed to write. It does not matter if you see the call to be small or great… the only thing that matters is, “Will you say yes?”
What I have found is that in these moments, these times when we are “In over our heads” is when we really come alive! As long as we are still ankle, knee, or even waist deep, we may wonder if God is real, but in the moments we accept the invitation to dive in, we discover who he is.
Questions for reflection…
Which depth do you feel that you are currently at and why?
Who is someone in your life that you have been inspired by their willingness to take a risk for God?
What risk you have in front of you right now?
