Run Silent, Run Deep

A ship wrecked long ago served as a marker for shallow water, and showed what could happen when we venture into waters that are too shallow. The ship was covered with barnacles, and the birds used it as a place to rest. Everything of value had long since been taken away.

I saw this some time ago, but the picture has stayed vivid in my mind. I thought of our lives as Christians. Sometimes, we can be left floundering like a ship run aground in waters too shallow, with everything of value stripped away. We seem to serve no purpose, and life seems futile. Church is something we visit on occasion, and fellowship with other Christians has gone by the wayside.

Is there hope left? Let's look once more at the ship. What drove it onto the reef? The ship was nearing shallow waters, and the captain may not have been alert and aware of his surroundings, and thus, the ship ran aground. Or perhaps there was a storm that took control and gave the captain no other choice.

Are we aware of our surroundings in life? We may be oblivious to them and not alert or steadfast in our faith. Are we alert to know what is going on around us?

Is there a storm in our life that seems not to give us a choice and which causes us to begin to flounder and sink? We may become wedged and forced down.

Should we experience such a time in life, God assures us that we can overcome the shallow life we have come upon, be freed from it, and once more become useful, running silent and deep — silent and deep in the love of God — to appear once more over the horizon in God-given strength. God is able to alert us when we drift off course. Lost but always loved, we can overcome the shallow and grow in the deep love of Christ.

1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, should one of us, Your servants, flounder in shallow living, forgive us and help us to recognize Your love, to be strengthened once again to run silent and deep. Alert us to the dangers of shallow living; bring us back to engage once again in a more Christ-like life for You, as well as for ourselves. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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