daily devotional

Psalm 42:7 – Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Deep calls to deep. Understand this, God is calling you out into the deep. Out of shallow living. He calls you out to a life where you can’t touch the bottom, where it’s sink or swim and only he can equip you to swim. Out in the deep is where you experience life on a whole new level. Where the once impossible is now part of your daily life. Think about it, you are likely already living in deeper waters than you once were. You have come a long way. There’s something in your life that was once impossible, but as you followed God into deeper waters he equipped you. Now that impossible is your possible and you do it every day. Don’t miss that.

Now, the deep is calling you out deeper. Deeper, where you trust fully in God for your every move and he meets you right where you are and continues to carry you out deeper.

The spirit of God wants to reach deep into the spirit of his children and take us deeper. Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters, wherever you may call me. Take me deeper than my feet have ever wandered, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my savior.

Oh yes, those are the words of one of my all-time favorite songs, “Oceans” by Hillsong. Listen to what comes next:

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

Imagine if you could see things through God’s perspective. If you could understand how all things work together and see the end from the beginning. This is the deeper living God desires for us. To become more and more like him. To see situations and circumstances as he sees them. What does that mean? To be able to not completely flip out when the car breaks down or the pipes burst or someone gets sick or the boss calls you in. But to know this too shall pass and when it does it will be used for good. All of it. Yes, everything in your entire life can be used for good. And this is how God sees it. Even your biggest mistake and most shameful failure can be used for something good out here in the deep. But not in the shallow. In the shallow, when life happens it is all we see. In the shallow we get overwhelmed by the circumstances of life and we’re drowned in our problems. It’s hard to hold on to our joy in the shallow. But in the deep, we see life is bigger and in comparison, the same problems simply aren’t as big. In the deep is where we demand our spirit align with the joy God has offered us because out here we know joy is uncircumstancial happiness. And God is calling us out into the deep where life is more. More than our circumstances. More than bills and 5 pound fluctuations on the scale. More than the very circumstance you woke up worried about this morning.

If you want more, you must be willing to go out into the deep. This is where God is calling you. This is where you belong.

And in the deep is where his waves sweep over you. And listen to me, that’s not a bad thing. Remember God is for you, not against you.

These waves are God’s love. His love in wave after wave crashes over you. You are covered in God’s love.

Sometimes we can see the waves all wrong. We see it as one thing after another happening to us and we miss that God is working FOR us. Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place. And these waves are His love crashing into you in the moments you need it most. We are literally swept away in his love, taken from all that which worries and overwhelms us and simply surrounded by his care. These are the moments of that “peace that passeth understanding” which scripture talks about. Peace that doesn’t make sense. Peace when everything around you says you should be in an uproar, and yet you are calm and confident of the one who is crashing over you in wave after wave.

When life gets hard, don’t wish it were easier. Decide you will be stronger. Decide you will get better. Decide you’re made for more, ready for more, and the simple fact that life got harder is an exercise in getting stronger and better. This is your opportunity. GO DEEPER!

Today, deep is calling you into deep. Where has your living been shallow? Where have you been just surface level with your time? Focusing on unimportant things and letting the truly important slip? That’s shallow. You’re being called to be deeper with your time.
Where have you been surface level with your talents? Oh yes, God has equipped you to do something in this world. You are special. Don’t you know you’ve been set apart? And because of this, you can’t just blend in. Are you being bold with the talents your creator has given you? Out here in the deep, you dive in and use every ounce of yourself for something bigger. In the shallow you stay stuck in your head consumed with worries of failure and judgment. Don’t sit in the shallow today. No, not when you were made for more.

Where have you been surface level with your treasures? Don’t you know you have treasures? You have things others can only dream about. Remember the simple fact that you have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in and clothes on your back makes you richer than 75% of the world. Because you have even a tiny amount of money in the bank and some spare change in your car lands you in the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. Sister, you DO have treasures. What are you doing with them? Are you complaining it’s not enough? If you are, I want you to know there are MILLIONS of people who would trade every single thing they have for a tiny percentage of what you have. Don’t be shallow. God is calling you into the deep. And in the deep you recognize all you have and you live in such immense gratitude and sheer joy over it all and trust anything God takes away, he will restore. And if he doesn’t restore it, you didn’t need it.

Your time, your talents and your treasures … will you take them deeper? Will you dare to go all in? God wants to take you to a place that’s so deep in life that your own power will not be sufficient. A place of full reliance on him. A place where his sovereign hand will be your guide. This is the place where your feet may fail and fear surrounds you, but you know HE HAS NEVER FAILED YOU, and he won’t start now.

And remember when life comes crashing in on you, these are God’s waves of love when you need it most. Be swept away in his care and receive the peace he is offering today. Peace in the middle of a storm when peace doesn’t make sense. A calm knowing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, in over your head, out here in deep living. He is for you, not against you. He is in you, not far from you. He is calling you, not ignoring you. He is guiding you, not punishing you. He is equipping you, not stripping you. He is preparing you to walk in deep waters, not dwell in the shallows of life.

You are ready. The deep is calling to the deep. Respond. Take the next step where your feet have never wandered and let your faith be made stronger in the presence of your savior.