Encouragement

Return Into The Deep

by Brandon Braddy
02/15/23
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Luke 5:1-7 (KJV)

      Jesus, after speaking to a certain people, observes two empty ships on the water. One of those belonged to Simon, also known as Simon Peter, or Peter, a follower of Jesus, who along with other fishermen had fished continually the entire night through. Now they were cleaning their nets after catching no fish whatsoever, it seems to be that they had given up. They had worked very hard, and these men were professionals, they were fishermen by trade, certainly they knew what they were doing, and how to go about it the most effective way possible. I picture them tired, with their tired eyes sqinted a bit, ready to get some much needed sleep after a long time of fishing, they may have been cranky and lashing out somewhat at each other due to a lack of sleep and the stress from the lack of success from catching not one single fish. This was not a casual fishing trip, this was their jobs on the line, and then Jesus showed up. And He said to Peter, Launch out into the deep. The Greek meaning of the word used here, that word, launch, it means to return. The Greek meaning of the word deep, figuratively means, mysteries. It might be that Jesus was telling Him, Simon, return to the deep, return again to that certain area of deep waters you sailed to last night, you know where it was and how to arrive there again, you know how long it will take to get there, and when you get there, Jesus continued to say, Let down your nets. Peter had just finished cleaning his fishing nets, he was tired, he had given up at catching anything most-likely, and Jesus was telling him to launch into the deep, maybe even to return to a place that he already had tried and failed in the trade He was made for and called to. But it is an admirable thing still that Peter, even after stating the fact that he had already toiled all the night and caught nothing at all, even still, Peter still replied back, nevertheless at thy word we will let down the nets. And when they did that, when they did as Jesus commanded them, they caught so many fish that it was difficult to contain all of them, it turned out to be a miracle, and we know as Christians that Jesus can turn anything into a miracle! Nothing is impossible or too hard for Him to accomplish, He can turn the seemingly ordinary things, even small things, into big and amazing things, for He is the God who does wonders, He does miracles, He will take whatever we have to give Him, no matter how small, no matter what size it comes in, and He, only He is able to give the increase, to make something out of our something small, that He may show His greatness, His power, and His grace and love to all who will have eyes of faith to see it. Launch into the deep. Jesus may be saying to us as He may have been saying to Peter, Return to the mysteries. Return to that place you were at before, and maybe you gave what you had to give, maybe you did your best while giving glory to God and you still failed in your attempt. Try again, put prayer behind it, and then let down into the deep whatever it is that give, that you use for my praise. Not all people may believe this, but God wants us to dream, as long as the dream brings honor and praise to Him alone. A dream is not just what we do at night when we are sleeping, in life we really all have dreams even if you may not realize it, you are dreaming about something happening in this life. In other words, we imagine, we within our minds and hearts, use our God given imaginations to envision some good happening, maybe it is a relationship being mended back together withing the family, or maybe it is something less serious than that, but still just as important to God, like taking up playing a musical instrument and finally being able to play a song all the way through, we think about things every day, and when we do this we are imagining, we have a dream taking place right now in our minds, in our hearts, God want us to use it all for His glory. He created this universe, and when He saw what he had made, He said it was good. Even God has dreams, He dreams about you and I every day. His word says that He is mindful of humanity, He is mindful of us, as the book of Psalms says concerning us, we are the ones, even us, every person on this earth, who God thinks of, yes, He thinks of you, He cares about you deeply, He loves you as a Father does His children. The book of Jeremiah states His heart concerning us all, God says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. What do we need to pick up again, to try again, to make another attempt for the glory and praise to our God who gives us everything we have, all we own, we are borrowing from Him, what do we need to pick up and let down into the deep, that God might reveal to us that what we may right now as a mystery, He can use it and turn it into a miracle to touch the hearts and lives of others around us, and to bring praise to Him. Whatever we have, God has given to us, and we use it and give it, we giving it again back to our God, who first lovingly gave it to us. Do you feel like you have worked so hard, you have tried and tried again only to fail, Do not give up, child of God, He wants you and I to pick it up again, to awaken that spiritual gift God has placed there within us, that ability, that talent, pick it up again, know what God would have you do with it, how He would want you to use it, study the Bible, look into His holy word and see, and then launch forth when He lets you know you are ready to set sail. And in all that we, all of us, in whatever we do, let us do all to the glory of God. For if God be at the center of what we set our heart and hands to accomplish, then there may just be a miracle waiting in the deep for us. That ability you have, it is yours and it is God's possession also, give it back to Him, continue practicing with it, try to improve at it, do not stop using it, and though you and I might not be aware of everything God will do with it, all thecways He will use it, it is a mystery to us, but it is not an unknown thing to Him, He knows how He will use it for His own praise, the numbers of hearts and lives our God-given abilities will be used to touch for His glory, He only may ask us to not quit, to not give up, do not become so discouraged that we begin to stop short of the deep, the seemingly impossible, for with our God, nothing shall be impossible. Return to the deep, try again, and continue in your attempts, continue dreaming forward, one step in front of the other, all the while keeping our eyes fixed on the greatness of our God. We all of us have something to use and to give back again to our God who gave everything for us. Do not stop, Do no clean the nets yet, but return into the deep, and watch God work. Watch Him do great things when we step out through faith and obey His word spoken to us.