The sun was warm, we rocked back and forth, and one swell rolled into another about 15 miles offshore. I could feel the same swells in my stomach as it churned with nerves and sea-sickness, but it was time to let go of all of that and fall in. I looked around at the people who were, mere hours ago strangers, and found one familiar face in that of Sally, and at her smile of encouragement, let myself fall back, literally, into the cool moving waters. Splashing in, I immediately felt that weightlessness that accompanies salt water. What I also felt, was all of those swells and churning I had merely seen below us a few moments ago.
Watching the ocean is a beautiful, soothing scene. Experiencing it on it’s surface on a rough day, is another thing entirely. It takes presence of mind to know and respect you are so much smaller and weaker than it, and to trust what you know in your gut will keep you safe- sticking to the plan, the tools and instruction you have been given and trusting in the wisdom of teachers.
When I was 12, my dad gifted me with a dive certification. My mom was not so on board with many of the adventures we pursued together. In true loving mother fashion, her job was to protect me and keep me nurtured and safe, but dads are different. My dad was constantly helping me grow through challenge, adventure, a shared desire for more. He knew me, though, and knew what I was capable of- what would bring a smile to my face. Just like every other adventure, he knew I Loved the ocean, that in that salty sea, he saw my smile, my fascination, and that ultimately, I was capable of doing more and it would help me develop, discover and dream.
That first open water dive, a shipwreck, was breathtaking. Falling backwards out of the boat with my gear, I still remember the jarring transition from air and swells battering the boat to calm yet encompassing feeling of being just beneath the surface. In one moment, you feel tossed about and in the wind (even on a calm day) and then, soundless blue surrounding you in an instant.
It’s like that, sometimes, isn’t it. It’s like when we find Jesus, we’re so excited as we take bold steps in faith, bold steps that give us amazing experiences beyond what we could ever imagine but also steps that require us to forget our personal, fleshly desire, recognize are smallness and trust in God to do it.
You know, Elijah was kind of a big deal. We look at Elijah and his story and see bold fearlessness. If you don’t know it, let’s go to 1 Kings 18. We’re joining the story after Elijah has correctly prophesied famine in the land, been provided for by a widow as God told him would happen and he is bravely challenging not one, not ten, but 450 of the priests of Baal to prove their God is real versus his. Talk about leaps of faith!
So they’re on Mount Carmel and Elijah essentially says, prove it to the prophets of Baal. Elijah builds a stone alter, and the prophets of Baal build a stone altar, and each side took a bull and slaughtered it on the altar. He, having such good manners of course, decided to let them go first. and in 1 Kings 18:26 we see this (and I have to share the HCSB version because the wording is my favorite),
So they toook the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, ‘Baal, answer us!’ But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they did their lame dance around the altar they made.
Their lame dance! The dance was lame. They took that phrase ‘dance like no one is watching’ the wrong way. But no one WAS watching. There was NO Baal to save them, to prove himself, to reply. At this point we can see things start to turn. Elijah waited patiently, he gave them until noon, but then, he mocked them and it’s the best biblical mocking you’ll find, in my humble opinion. Elijah appeared fearless. He stood in front of 450 of the prophets of Baal all by himself and we see him TAUNT them! ‘Maybe Baal’s taking a nap. Maybe he’s like out. Maybe he hasn’t decided what to do.” We see in this moment Elijah is all guts (and also kind of awesome).
What happens next? He doesn’t just take his turn. He needs to add some drama. He goes big or goes home. He has the already built the altar, the wood for the fire, laid the sacrifice prepared on it and just before he prays to the one true God, he ups the ante, by saying pour some water all over it. It’s the ultimate ‘But Wait! There’s more!’ moment.
When I think about that day diving deep, I think about what it taught me on a new level about faith. About twenty feet down I got disoriented . Just like walking through valleys, I got disoriented and felt like my body didn’t know up from down anymore. In those moments of panic and feeling so small, my gut was to use the anchor line to climb back to the surface, to let go of the notion that there was wonder ahead.
Then a hand touched my arm, we made eye contact, and suddenly, I was not alone and grounded in the moment. a mask covered face looked into mine and I was reminded that this was something I wanted, that there was a reward to taking the bold steps, and to keep moving forward.
Elijah does what he was commanded and also seeks out His heavenly Father for guidance and to lead him next, as he knew to do. He humbles himself as a mere servant, he proclaims the deity of the one true God, and he asks his heavenly father to see it through so that everyone may know and believe. Sure enough, God, who also is the master in creating a memorable and life changing experience, not only sends fire down, it completely takes over the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust and the water. There was nothing left to ensure not a shred of evidence could say he wasn’t the one true God.
Bold faith will do that. Bold faith says, you’ve told me this will come to pass, so I believe, you told me to keep going, so I did, you told me to go big or go home for your glory- well, your glory was evident.
If you believe God can part the sea, lick up all the water in the trench for Elijah and drown the Earth only to make it new again, why don’t you think He can take you through the unknown things lurking in the deep to bring you through to glory? Give it to Him and see what He can do!
Simple, right? We go through a trial and we learn. Elijah walked through that trial like a champ. Most of us are afraid to be to Jesus oriented on socials because someone might not follow us. We jump on the band wagon of judging someone because everyone else is, hating something because everyone else seems to, and we dare not stand in opposition, because then we could be subjected to the same negativity.
If you disagree, then I give you exhibit a, the most important of societal arguments, food fads. No one in the world was singing the praises of kale 20 years ago, and you know why, because it’s disgusting. Leave it to a small and boisterous group and what do we have now, kale is even trying to takeover the almighty and glorious potato chip. Is it better, heck no! but hey, it has a fan club that wakes up everyday preaching its virtues to the world. While we’re at it, let’s put roasted red peppers and sriracha in that club. And if you’re sitting here and reading this up in arms about any of those three gross food items showing up on every menu in the US, when was the last time we got that in arms and bold about the Love of Jesus?! Would your friend be uncomfortable or upset if you spoke up for grace and covenant when they are considering leaving and getting a full tribe together in support of their decision? Do you empathize that yes, marriage is hard, but ask ‘what is God teaching you’ instead of cheering on the feelings of ‘she doesn’t do enough for me’ or ‘spends too much money’ or ‘he isn’t involved with the kids’ or ‘doesn’t show me affection?’ OR Do you join the tribe and light the torch of destruction? As children of the ever living creator of the universe, ask yourself if you believe enough in His hand of healing that He has the best in mind for even the most broken of situations and can heal them.
I mean come on! Elijah thumbed his nose at an entire community knowing the greatness of His risk without seemingly batting an eyelash. This was not a five minute miracle. Being the opposition and with his boldness, he stood to lose his life in the way he called out and mocked the prophets of Baal and his entire community’s unbelief. He cried out to God believing, alone as he was in his belief in that moment, for bold and tangible demonstration of His power and existence. Elijah jumped in to the full on deep. He didn’t just challenge the prophets of Baal, he prepped for a full-on Vegas style showing of God’s existence. That set up he made was a true ‘But wait! There’s more!’ experience for everyone watching, and that took the faith of someone who had done the training, kept the word on his lips and done the work to be ready for that open water experience.
You may be sitting there going, sure that’s one moment- a blip, but the coolest thing about Elijah is he repeatedly demonstrates bold faith to bold results. He is a lifelong documentation of God’s provision out of our obedience. Biblically, we don’t hear about his early life at all and then, he bursts on to the scene with both with in 1 Kings 17.
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
So this prophet shows up on the scene and what we know about his origin is very little. Scholars think he was from the tribe of Gad- one of the tribes that stayed on the east side of the Jordan. He’s alive during a time of a LOT of volatility, kings coming and going, Judah and Israel are freshly split new nations, and his tribe will be the first to succumb to Assyrian attack. What does all that mean? Just like Jesus, his lineage is not of earthly importance. But this prophet, part of a tribe that is not one of the leading tribes or seen as monumentally influential and not a levite, so not a priest, has been doing some work. He has spent his life seeking out his heavenly father, studying the word and honing his gifts, and because of that his first appearance is to go to a volatile and unbelieving king and tell him “Hey, famine is coming and it’s because you aren’t following God.”
Now, that is bold. Elijah’s first mention is just as potentially deadly as his challenge against Baal. Now, how does this man, not a priest, call out with such boldness? Because he is training and studying and preparing for whatever God is asking of Him. He is relentlessly believing in God’s provision when He is obedient.
I know! You’re on the edge of your seat right now, so what happens next?! God, provides. He sends Elijah to the Wadi (a ravine that fills with water in the rainy season) to be cared for and tells him to drink from it and that the ravens will feed him daily. Going into the deep means you know God has you and, when you have heard from Him, because you’re listening and have a relationship with Him, you have the faith to trust Him when the answers don’t make sense and the task is overwhelming. Elijah obediently says the hard thing, and God says ‘Go here, be cared for, rest alone.’
Elijah gets to bless others with food, be used to raise the dead, and then, because he is continuously allow God to stretch him, he gets to boldly stand for his faith and his heavenly father and decimate a false faith that is leading the entire population of a nation astray.
When you get to those big faith moments and have the faith to keep going to keep descending into the deep where you’ve been called and equipped, you get to see some pretty cool stuff. Elijah does the work, he walks out every word God has given Him in obedience. He isn’t rash, he doesn’t fall into the assignment, but he is strong and courageous in every opportunity. When you go into the deep and you hold onto everything you’ve learned, you get to experience a life unlike any other, you get to see majestic masterpieces of God’s handiwork unwitnessed by so many eyes, but and it will leave you beautifully breathless.
But in his training, Elijah knew when the Lord stretched him, he also needed to be obedient in retreat. Coming back to the surface, we re-acclimate, we breathe free, unpressurized air, and we rest. After God showed up and licked up all the water and every evidence of the offering on that mountain, Elijah was tired, and Satan was relentless through Ahab and Jezebel, so what does God do, He draws Elijah away, and just as Elijah is falling apart he shows up in a whisper and speaks to him and tells him of the victory to come, but that’s another story and another message.
Elijah goes on to see wonders and prophecies come to pass and Elijah has the privilege of being whisked up to heaven and his legacy continues through the entire bible. So many pieces of his story baffle scholars and apologetics because it defies all worldly logic. Leading a life experiencing the wonders of the deep, means walking out a faith and boldly going into the deep. You have to choose to be all in and chase after it in Him!
When Sally I looked to Sally that day, she comforted me with her eyes, with her guiding hand and gently lead me deeper. It was my first step to finding a whole world and seeing sites, and that day a shipwreck, that so many will never see. In the end, I was overcome by the wonder and I realized I was capable of more than I imagined. I had trained, I had studied and now I needed to put that knowledge into action to experience the joy of it.
God wants us to love Him, to trust Him and to let Him lead. If we merely assume our proper seat, learn from His word and learn to hear His voice, He will carry us through to the joy He has waiting for us.
What do you need to give to him today? Is it your finances, your relationships, who He has in mind for you to marry one day, your time, do you really believe He’s got a plan for you in this season of waiting and that change is coming? Is it your finances and you’re drowning and consulting everyone but Him on what to do? Maybe, it’s you heart. If you haven’t allowed Jesus to save you, the Holy Spirit isn’t in you. You can’t feel that presence, hear His voice, pray in His peace. If you can’t, take the step today. Don’t wait anymore. Then, allow the true work within you to begin.
We aren’t alone in this journey. Jesus went through tests himself!
A Snap of Ginger 