Ever wonder what it would be like to go swimming with Jesus? Are you holding on to the side of the pool for safety? Maybe you can swim with Jesus, but only in the shallow end of the pool. You know, where the water is shallow enough to touch the bottom when things get rough. How many of us venture into deep water with only Jesus to protect us?
1 John 5:14, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
Intimacy with Jesus takes the same courage and practice as swimming when we were children. When we were children, we relied on our parents or a swimming instructor to guide us through learning to swim. In the beginning, we spent most of our time either hanging onto the side of the pool or wading into the shallow end, where we knew we were safe. Only after much encouragement and practice did we even think about going to the deep end. But, unfortunately, the pool’s deep end did not provide the safety we needed.
Prayer is like swimming; we tend to cling to the edge and not let go. We want to trust in Jesus enough to set our worries aside, but we aren’t that sure. In time we feel more comfortable trusting Him with some things, but we want the security of taking control if it is not going how we want. If we are to mature in our prayer life, we must be able to swim in deep water and turn everything over to the one who loves us unconditionally. We must learn to trust Him even when we do not see His plan.
Hanging on to the Edge
1 John 5:15, "And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
When we first started to learn about Christ, we probably did not understand the power of prayer. Prayer was more about asking for what we needed and then hanging on until it arrived. We felt we lacked faith if it didn’t arrive or God didn’t hear us. We certainly didn’t live as though we thought God would answer our prayers. It was more of a fallback position than looking for an answer.
Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
We didn’t approach prayer confidently. Who were we to expect God to care? God is busy; surely, other prayers are more important than mine. My need isn’t as great as other people’s needs. Satan doesn’t like us to pray. He will do what he can to get us to stop. If he can’t convince us that our need is too big for God to resolve, he will convince us our need is too small for God to care.
Psalm 18:6, "In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple, he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."
Wading In
James 1:6, " But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
As we grow closer to God, we become emboldened, asking what is on our hearts without restraint. The problem is that we still don’t fully trust God to answer our prayers how we want them answered. Somehow, we have come to believe in answered prayer, but not that God’s answer is the best. We want to stay in shallow water where we can stand on our own if the need arises.
Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
The shallow end is where most Christians spend their lives—praying but doubting the power of prayer. Because of this, they never see God’s hand in their life. It is a spiral that leads them to become more skeptical of prayer’s power. They find themselves standing in shallow water, thinking they can swim.
Swimming with Jesus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
For the advanced open water diver, the Marriott Gold Coast in Australia has a private saltwater lagoon with an artificial reef visitors could use to prepare for diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Open-water divers are the ultimate swimmers. They are diving fifty to a hundred feet under the water, miles from shore, with only their scuba gear to sustain them. They are literally emersed in the experience, totally dependent.
That is the experience God wants for us when we pray. He wants continuous communication with an expectation that He will meet our needs. God wants us to be totally dependent on Him. Not so that He can control our lives, but so He can show us the power of His grace and compassion. God has a great life planned for each of us. God wants us to experience what He created in us.
Ephesians 6:18, " And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Be a deep-water diver of prayer, swimming far from shore, deep under the surface, and completely secure in what God has in store for you.
Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."