Launching Out

I didn't know quite how to begin this blog.  I've been thinking about it for over 2 months.  I have felt God leading me to do it, but have been waiting for an epiphany with a spoken message like, "Thus saith the Lord...."  It didn't happen.  And I've been sitting and waiting.  Sometimes, I think we just need to move in faith and DO SOMETHING.

In Luke 5, Peter, a professional fisherman by trade (and probably quite good at it), was found early one morning cleaning his nets.  Jesus had His eye on him.  Peter was probably frustrated because he and his cohorts had toiled all night and caught nothing.  Before you know it, Jesus got into Peter's boat.  Peter's boat represented his life.  It's what he did, what he knew and what he had just recently failed at.  And Jesus asks him to put out a little from the land.  I've wondered if the last thing Peter wanted to do was get back in that boat?  But back in the boat he went with Jesus, pushing it away from the shore.  This enabled the multitude to see and hear Jesus right there from Peter's boat.  Peter's life. And most recently, Peter's failure.  (Oh--I know--Peter has much bigger failures later in his story.)   After speaking to the crowd, Jesus hones in on Peter and says, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  Apprehensively, Peter does it.  Everyone's watching.  It's pretty risky.  But at Jesus' word, he launched out and let down his freshly cleaned nets into the Sea of Galilee (aka Lake of Gennesaret).  Nets broke. The boat began sinking from the weight of a multitude of fish.  A great catch!  Peter is face to face with an acute awareness and awe that the Messiah stands before him--humbled and conscious of his own human frailty and sin.  Jesus then said, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."  Amazed and awed, Peter and his party forsook all and followed Him.  Launched out into the deep and wide unknown.  And the multitude were near, witnesses to this miracle.  Again, where did this take place?  All from Peter's boat.  Is it safe to say his boat had been his identity?  Now his identity was no longer merely "fisherman," but "Fisher of Men," because Jesus had called Him, invited him to launch out and follow Him.  Despite his failures.  Others learned from it, while Peter was changed by it.

Priscilla Shirer spoke on this series of Scripture once and I was so touched by the message.  So I ask anyone who is reading, what is God asking you to "launch out" and do, in faith?  This is my "launching out" for now.  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me it's kinda risky opening up my life to the world.  It is what's kept me quiet.  But keeping quiet is not exercising faith if God is asking me to share my life with others.  And I want to please God.  I want to honor Him with my failures, successes, joys and disappointments, from the boat of my life.  And I believe you do, too.