Down but Not Out

A tourist was visiting a famous landmark on the ocean and he’d walked out on a pier to see the ocean better. But as he looked over the edge of the pier he was disturbed by how deep the water seemed to be. As he was thinking about water’s depth, he noticed an old man fishing off the pier, and he went over to him and asked: "If I were to fall into this water, would I drown?" The old man smiled and said "Nah. Falling into the water isn't what drowns people. It's staying UNDER the water that drowns them.”  This appears to be the sentiment of Paul as he writes his letter to the Corinthian church. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT). The apostle alerts his readers to the fact that they will find themselves at times being succumbed by deep waters but the answer to survival is the refusal to stay under. Knowing this, the question begging for an answer is “How do we resurface and stay on top?” Paul continues in his writing by stating, “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh… knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up…”  We survive by taking on the breath of the Spirit and allowing Him to be our spiritual Lifeguard. In every stage of Jesus’ ministry He yielded to the Spirit’s infusion of power. Because of this, no wave of opposition could hold Him; no current overtake Him; no depth destroy Him. He breathed deep into his lungs the life of the Spirit. Thus His struggle turned into strength because the force within was greater than that without. No wonder Jesus breathed upon the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He was preparing them as well as us for the deep waters. With Him we may go down but we are never out!