Monday Musings ~ Dig Down Deep

Does God ever give you a picture in your head that seems truly out of the blue?  You hear Him and you wonder, "WHAT?"

God often speaks to me in pictures.  He knows that I am a visual learner!  Sometimes, He gives me a picture for someone else.  That happened this weekend and it was such a sweet experience.

I was sitting in a service at Mosaic Church in Chicago.  We were there for their 2nd Anniversary to celebrate with our friends Scott and Ashley Venable and Aaron and Ashley Cauble.  As we were worshiping, God gave me a strong image of an offshore oil rig.

Hmmm . . . strange.  Actually, my brother is a Pretroleum Engineer and he has had a lot of responsibility over these rigs.  I have learned a bit from him over the years but this is not an image that routinely pops into my head.    As I sat in worship, the Lord continued to bring that image into my head, and then He began to speak to me about what it takes to keep that rig steady when the winds blow and the storms rage. 

Those rigs are sunk into the bedrock.  They drill down and put those pillars in the bedrock that can not be shaken.  They can withstand a tremendous amount of stress.  The Lord wanted to assure Mosaic that He has been drilling down deep in that body of believers.  He is building His church by plunging them into the deep.  As a result of that, they will see growth up on the surface - in ministry, in service, in numbers, in effectiveness and in influence.

It was such a joy to share that with the church body.  Isn't the Lord good to encourage us through one another?

Would you stand up and share if the Lord asked you to?

I have to admit, I was pretty hesitant to get up and speak.  I'm not generally nervous about speaking in front of groups, but my legs were shaking.  It was so obvious to me that the Holy Spirit was doing the speaking.  Certainly, not everything the Lord tells me is to be shared in a large group but if He tells me to - I sure want to be obedient, even if my legs are shaking.

What is the Lord whispering in your ear, or illustrating in your mind?  Are you paying attention to the creative ways that the Lord may bring His message to you?

Are you allowing Him to dig down deep?

I want this image of the oil rig to resonate in my own life.  I want the Lord to continue to drill down deep into my life - even if it comes with struggle, trials and some confusion.  I want Him to take me to that place where I will not be shaken, even in the strongest storms. 

I want Him to continue deepening my walk with Him and thus produce growth in all areas of my life.  I know that I can serve Him best when I am abiding in the depths.

I'm digging down deep.  Won't you join me?