Shallows and Depths

Today I have been re-reading part of 'Tides and Seasons' by David Adam, a book of modern prayers in the Celtic tradition.

David Adam writes about Luke Chapter 5. Jesus is surrounded by huge crowds of people who are listening to his teaching. Jesus, needing a little space, gets into Simon's boat and asks him to put out a little from the shore. Then Jesus teaches the people from the boat. Later, he asks Simon to thrust out into deep water. While they are in deep water, the disciples cast out their nets at Jesus' command and their catch of fish is so great that they have to call in other fishermen to help them.

David Adam explains the need for us to create a little space in our lives: to put out a little from shore. This is the first step and without it we cannot take the next step, which is to 'thrust out into the deep'. He says, "Let us learn to move from the superficial to the deep. Life is not meant to be a perpetual game of trivial pursuits, it is far more glorious than that... Promise that each day you will set apart a little time to discover the depths of things, that you will thrust out a little from the land."

Moving a boat off the beach and into the shallow waters takes effort; rowing a boat from the shallows into deep waters takes effort. So, creating the space in which to be still and listen to God takes effort and discipline. Being out in deep water changes our perspective; we see the things on land as part of a 'bigger picture': our focus is taken away from the detail and becomes broader.

And it is in the depths that we can cast our nets and catch the unexpected. We will never know what the benefits are unless we try....