Take Me Deeper

The best relationships in my life all have something in common — sacrifice. I know that's probably not the word you thought I was going to say. It might not always be the first word that comes to mind when I'm thinking about those relationships, but in all of them, maybe the truest thing about them is they take sacrifice.

I think about my marriage, for instance. It’s amazing. And it's not just amazing in the overused, superficial sense of the word; it's genuinely unbelievable. We have so much fun together. We've had four kids together. We've been married almost 12 years. It's not hyperbole to say she's the greatest gift in my life that God's ever given me (besides forgiveness).

Our friends often tell us that our marriage looks easy from the outside. But my wife, Sarah, and I understand the truth - anything that appears easy here has been built upon sacrifice. It's both of us willingly putting each other's needs above our own, constantly saying, "I've got your back, so you don't have to protect yourself." The goodness, fruitfulness, and joy we find in our marriage all stem from sacrifice.

But, when I think about my relationship with Jesus, I realize that I often have a different perspective. In my walk with Him, I've sometimes thought that if something feels hard or uncomfortable, it can't be God's will for me. However, Jesus repeatedly reminds us that true life often comes through suffering. The allure of comfort is a powerful lie, one I've been prone to believe.

Lately, my prayer has been different. I've been telling Jesus, "I want to go deeper with You. I want to experience the fullness of life that You offer. So, take me into suffering." It's easy to sing songs of victory and the power of the resurrection, but we must remember that the resurrection only occurs through the cross. If you're willing to pray a dangerous prayer, consider the one found in Philippians 3, penned by the Apostle Paul. He said, "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to share in His suffering and death so that I may also experience the resurrection."

There’s a lyric in the song “Take Me Deeper” that is an audacious prayer to pray. "I want to know You, Jesus, in Your suffering." For it's on the path of dying to oneself that we truly find life and cultivate a deeper relationship with our Savior. Pray it, and I assure you, Jesus will meet you there.

Written by Justin from Crossroads Music surrounding the song "Take Me Deeper"