Have you ever looked out over a large body of water as the sun rises or sets? The water can look magnificent with the shining light beaming across the glittering waves. From the shore you may be able to make out the direction of the current if the water is a river, or perhaps make out a distant sandbar or drop off if it is a lake, sea, or the ocean. With all the beauty your eyes can behold, you’ve only just begun to get a glimpse of the water.

How deep does that water go down? How fast is it moving? Is it moving at all? Is the water warm? How far will you be able to wade into the water before it would be at your ankles, your knees, your waist?

Looking out over the picturesque scene is one way of appreciating, and knowing the water. But it is surely the most introductory way of knowing the water. Your eyes can see a good deal farther than you can touch. Your eyes and observations from a distance have limitations.

What if you did something crazy, and you began to walk closer to the water? What if you took off your shoes to let your feet feel the warmth of the sun on the sand? Could you experience something different, something more by wading into the water? The experience would give you a much deeper understanding by going into the water rather than simply looking from a distance.

Often in our reading of God’s Word, we only take a brief initial reading of a passage. Like driving in a car that is going around a bend near the shoreline, we only get but a moments glimpse of the water. That initial reading is helpful, it’s certainly better than not reading at all. Yet it’s not to be compared to moments spent thinking, conversations had discussing, and prayers given to God over that same passage.

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