Sometimes the call doesn’t come with comfort. Sometimes it arrives with shaky hands, rushing thoughts, and a heart that knows before the head understands. Meet me at the water, He said softly but urgently. It’s not always lovely to obey. It’s not always courageous. Sometimes it feels terrifying. However, I had a gut feeling that responding to this call would alter everything. Not only was I baptized when I entered that water, but I was also awoken. I was sacrificing the old life without fully knowing what the new one would cost.
The day of my baptism didn’t feel calm at first. It felt like warfare. My body shook. My spirit sobbed. And yet in the heart of that storm, God whispered that the wilderness was not punishment—it was preparation. He told me that what was coming would take the strength I had not yet grown. That obedience would take away some things; that people, routines, and comfort would go as I ascended. And still, I said yes.
That is the paradox of obedience. It often demands we walk forward without guarantees. Before explaining, it asks for faith. And it requires submission before comprehension.
After that moment, everything transformed. They lit the fire. Prayer became hunger. Scripture became oxygen. Silence was revered. I started to see that following God was more about posture than perfection. A willing heart. An open spirit. A will that is given up.
But compliance always generates opposition. The deeper I plunged into God, the louder confusion sought to become. Voices sought to compete. Fear attempted to take the place of faith. Distractions tried to drag me back into a familiar cage. And yet, obedience trained my judgment. I discovered that hearing God’s voice always results in freedom rather than servitude. It always results in clarity rather than condemnation.
The water indicated the pivotal moment. The fire polished me. I also learned how to listen in the wilderness.
Move fearfully but faithfully if God is calling you to do so. If he’s asking you to give up, let go of anything that you still feel attached to. If he is guiding you into unfamiliar waters—step in nonetheless.
Because you don’t drown in the water.
The water is where you ascend.