"Well, Mr. Fish, first things first," said the reporter. "What do you think of this ocean in which you live?" A puzzled look came upon Mr. Fish's face.
"What ocean?" he responded.
"In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
We live in a universe saturated with the presence of the living God. However, a vast portion of the human race fails to recognize this, by far the greatest fact of our life and existence. Moreover, even born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ discern Him in precious little measure considering how completely He fills us both within and without. "The Spirit of God dwelleth in you... Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus" (I Corinthians 3:16; 1:30). Yes, God lives in us, we live in God, and nothing changes or can change the spiritual proximity of the One declared by the Apostle Paul as "not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27).
Mr. Fish has nothing on us, does he? He no more misses the physical environment in which he lives than we often miss the spiritual reality of our life and being. An infinite, almighty, and eternal God comprises the sea in which we live. How is it possible that we fail to know such glory when "in Him we live and move and have our being?" The Bible's primary answer involves the truth that we presently "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). "We see through a glass darkly" confessed the Apostle Paul, who so well knew and experienced God's pervasive reality (I Corinthians 13:12). Apprehending our Lord requires the exercise of faith wherein we choose to believe Truth based not on our limited human senses, but rather upon the Word of God. Indeed, "sight" may ask, "What ocean?" Faith answers, "It's everywhere, and all around! I am swimming in it!"
Of course, we do not always miss the great fact of our existence. Some moments grace us with vivid experience of God's presence and involvement in our lives. He sometimes makes Himself so obvious that, at least for the moment, it almost seems we do not have to live by faith. For those times we give thanks and rejoice in the glory revealed. Most often, however, the Sea in which we live remains an environment known in spirit rather than by the senses. For this we also give thanks and rejoice. Such limitation grants opportunity to discover the heart of our faithful Lord. Indeed, when we must trust Him without seeing and sensing Him, we discover "the deep things of God" that might evade us were we not pressed to faith (I Corinthians 2:10).
Our hearts presently know His heart in ways apprehended by trust rather than sight. We shall eventually know how blessed a time is this, when God grants opportunity for us to walk - or, with Mr. Fish - swim by faith. What ocean? The Psalmist answers…
"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10)
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
"He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27)
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