It sounded like sporadic gun fire — Pop, pop, pop! It wasn’t gunfire, though. It was the sound of life jackets exploding in the midst of waves crashing along the California coast. It was my first leadership challenge as a new Second Lieutenant Platoon Commander. It was a classic case of “The only thing you can plan on is that nothing goes according to plan.”

We were conducting amphibious raid training, with our initial training doing small boat landings along the coast. I had all six of my non-swimmers in my rubber boat. I was in the back of the boat performing the “coxn’s” duties (coxswain — the steersman of a ship’s boat, lifeboat, or other boat, Oxford Languages). Overall, as my first leadership challenge, things were going great. We did several days of rowing out, rowing in, and landing on the beach. So far, so good. Then came the fateful night. We had paddled out and sat in our boats, bobbing just outside the surf zone. This is where the waves begin to break as they approach the shore. To make a long story short, the command to “hit the beach” was inappropriately timed and our boat was perched on the crest of a wave. In the dark of night, we were hurtling out of control, none of our paddles in the water. The rear of the boat lifted up and the nose dug into the wave, throwing all of us out of the boat.

That was when I heard the popping. Each of us wore a life jacket, inflated manually to provide buoyancy when we were in the water. Every one of my Marines, forgetting that they had already inflated their vests, pulled the carbon dioxide charge, effectively blowing up their vests. The salt-water-activated lights all came on upon entering the water, so it was fairly easy to save my guys who were floundering in knee-deep water. Most were pretty embarrassed to discover they were in shallow water.

We have a lot of shallow-water Christians in the Church today. We think it’s cute to see children playing in the wading pool — not so much for an adult. Quite often in Scripture, the word “deep” is used in the context of trials or difficulties. “Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me” (Psalm 69:14-15, ESV). “Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, His wondrous works in the deep. For He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted the waves of the sea” (Psalm 107:23-25). The idea is not that they should be kept from the trials of the deep but that they would trust God to bring them through it.

What is it that keeps Christians in shallow water? I would venture first that they remain shallow in their study of Scripture. The pervasive biblical illiteracy in the Church in America has caused us to be weak and ineffective in impacting the society around us. The reality is that the world is invading the Church rather than the Church invading the world (that’s another subject). How many Christians have grasped the fact that the very Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in and through us? “If the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life [abundant, overcoming life] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). Jesus told His followers, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do: and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12, emphasis mine). Jesus said that His return to heaven was necessary so that the Holy Spirit would come to empower them (John 16:7).

I love these words from the song “Oceans” by Hillsong United:

You call me out upon the waters,
The great unknown, where feet may fail.
And there I find you in the mystery,
In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

And I will call upon your name.
And Keep my eyes above the waves.
When oceans rise,
My soul will rest in Your embrace,
For I am yours, and You are mine.

My prayer is that God will be my life jacket and that He will continue to take me into the “great unknown” so that “in oceans deep, my faith will stand.” That’s my prayer for you as well, my friend. What say ye, Man of Valor?