Deeper Still
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!
Romans 11:33
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19
I really don’t remember where it came from, but as a child I heard that if you dig deep enough, you would end up in China. I remember the day that my girlfriend and I began to dig to see if it was true. We dug as vigorously as we could and bent near to the dirt to see if we could glimpse any light down in the dark hole. It wasn’t very long that we concluded we didn’t have the energy to make it to China. After a good night’s sleep, we were back at it again the next day, but we hardly made a dent in the hard Georgia clay. I remember giving up on a trip to China and deciding to make use of all the hard work by burying a treasure in the hole. I don’t know what we tucked into that little metal Band-Aid box (probably made in China), but at that time it was a great treasure to us.
Wrapped up in this memory are two powerful truths for the New Year:
We don’t have the strength, energy or ability to dig our way to the depths of God.
When we become discouraged in this pursuit we can make the mistake of burying our treasure in the ground.
I chose the name of my blog, “Deeper Still” many years ago because it is the cry of my heart. This New Year finds my heart in the same place, longing for more and more of Him. I have grown deeper in the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, but I find Him and His ways to be so unsearchable. There is always more. We can always grow “deeper still”. I long to know the width, length, height and depth of His great love.
In this upside down kingdom of God, striving and digging will not lead to the depths of God, but only abiding in Him produces a fruitful outcome. Let’s join in Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, asking that we may “be rooted and established in His love and have the power to grasp the fullness of God. “
Digging alone leads to discouragement. Hard work alone leaves us busy, spent and empty. When we dig and feel we are getting nowhere, we will soon bury our desires and dreams and give up on growing and maturing. The enemy’s plot is then accomplished.
Jump back with me to to my childhood memory. After a few months, my curiosity of the box in the ground got to my young mind. I was curious as to what had happened to the treasure in the ground, even though we had agreed to leave it there forever. I secretly snuck out alone and quickly dug it up. Checking out the contents I found everything was safely stored away, but was now moldy, discolored and musky.
God given desires and dreams were never intended to be buried, hidden, or tucked away. God loves a hungry, thirsty heart that longs for more of Him. Treasure the desire if you have it, and if you don’t, ask Him for it.
Remember, the pursuit is for Him, not a destination or result.
He waits to be found through abiding.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4