In researching today’s prayer, I learned that elephants are excellent swimmers and can travel long distances in deep water. Who knew? They have perfected the art of doggy paddling, making use of their strong feet to serve as paddles in the water. They also have a built-in snorkel, utilizing their long trunks for breathing.
A sentence in the writings of George Swinnock (1627-1673) captures my imagination, “There are depths in God’s Word where elephants can swim, and there are also shallows where lambs can wade.” George was well-known for employing vivid metaphors and pithy sayings to explain theology. The Bible is elementary enough for a child to understand yet so profound as to confound scholars. Take the birth narrative of Jesus. It’s a simple story about a child born in unusual circumstances, yet also a deeper story that Christ is the Word made flesh. Scripture is accessible to any novice yet plenty deep for the mature disciple. Regardless, the pool is refreshing at both the shallow and deep end.
George Swinnock was counted among the English Puritan pastors expelled from their parishes in 1662 for nonconformity to the Book of Common Prayer. He wrote his magnum opus, The Christian Man’s Calling, during this time, centering his writing on a disarming short text about training for godliness (1 Tim. 4.7), yet he invested the better part of three volumes making practical applications to marriage, family, and employment. He urges us to give God the whole of our hearts “without halting and without halving.” He wrote, “Our churches must not be turned into chapels of ease.” We join with George in praying: