Faith To Swim

Recently we were reviewing a Sunday School lesson where we spoke of Ezekiel when the angel of the Lord brought him to the waters. The Scripture is very familiar (Ezekiel 47:1-6) and says that the angel brought Ezekiel to the water, first pointing out his ankles, then knees, then waist and then to a point where it was too deep.

While we were speaking of the lesson (God says when we are yet speaking he hears us and answers us)… God gave us a vision of this. Imagine yourself for a moment… You’re at the beach. And you’re getting ready to go into the water, just standing at the shoreline. And if you’re anything like me, you go slowly, because you know you can’t swim. In fact you might do that anyway because the water is always so cold when you first get in. So you approach the water, and you start with baby steps… (do the hokey-pokey maybe. Put your right foot in and then you take it out and then you put your left foot in…) But first you let the water cover your ankles, then you walk a little more and it covers your knees. Then you keep walking and you let it cover your waist and you dare out a little bit more and the water is now up to your neck. So now it’s decision time, because you know if you go any further, more than likely you will lose your footing… the water will overcome you and you will have to decide whether to go for it (swim) or run back to the shore (drown).

Now some of you I’m sure know how to swim, but you still have to make that decision to do so when you get to a certain point… because there comes a point no matter how far you allow yourself to go into the water, where you simply have to let go of your footing.

The Scripture says that the angel measured 1000 cubits each time he took Ezekiel to another level, and get this, in the spiritual for us that’s the difference of the levels of the glory of the Lord. God brings us from glory to glory to glory. Different levels of faith, different levels of His goodness, different levels of His faithfulness in our lives.

So as God is measuring our faith He asks us to do this. He leads us by the hand to the edge of the waters and He tells us to step. And for the most part we do it. It’s a baby step and we know it and we take it and each step is a higher step of faith than the step before. But then God gets us to the point where we really must step…. And we realize that the other steps were merely preparation for the step where God would have us. But it is here where He challenges us and He challenges our faith. We are at the point where we are either going to have to swim or drown. Go for it or run back. Believe God or not? We are faced with a decision that can very well change our lives forever. Glory to Glory to Glory to Glory.

Are we really going to trust Him?

When the angel brought Ezekiel to that last level, the angel simply asked him, “do you see this, have you seen this?” And I believe that God does the same thing to us… He says “do you see this? Do you see where I have brought you to? Have you seen this? Do you see where I have brought you from?” And the angel was showing Ezekiel something, the same way God is showing us. He takes us to the point where He points out where we are and asks us to make that decision to swim or to drown and He does it for one of two reasons, to prove something in us to us, or take us to another level. Glory to Glory to Glory.

God is either telling us to come on and swim, letting us know that we can’t do the impossible, swim in this water, but because He is God and was the One that has led us there, He will do the impossible for us.

Or God is showing us to ourselves, especially when we make the decision to drown (to turn around and run back). Because every now and then we forget Who has brought us where we are and forget Who has given us the faith to carry us through. If we are honest we can admit that every now and then we get caught up in ourselves and we think we are operating in a higher level of faith than we actually are…. And God is always showing us where we are in Him and where we need to be. Ain’t God good?! Glory to God!

In either case, whether God is showing Him or showing us, we’re in a good place. One because God Himself has led us there, so He’s got our hand. Never will I leave you nor forsake you saith the Lord. And two, because God yet desires to take us there. That’s the ultimate goal. To go from Glory to Glory to Glory to Glory. In God. We just have to believe Him. And swim.

Bless the Lord for His goodness and truth!

God is real! Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E