By Alice Smith
"Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught" (Lk. 5:4, KJV).
Many of us prefer to keep our boats safely tied to the pier rather than launch out into the deep with Christ. To be sure, when a boat is tied to the pier it is sheltered within the harbor; the wind is calm and the water is smooth. But boats are designed for sailing, not docking. The real boating adventure begins out in the open sea with the wind and the salty ocean spray in your face.
The same is true of your spiritual journey with the Lord. If, like most people, you are content to stay in port, tied to the dock, then you will have limited opportunity to know Him better. However, if you intend to discover who He truly is and your destiny in Him, then cast off your moorings by faith and launch out into the deep with Him. If you will forsake your fears and risk a deeper intimacy with Jesus, then you will learn more about Him and in the vast ocean of His Spirit you will find the very desire of your heart.
Simon Peter was so anxious to experience the supernatural power of Christ that when he and the other disciples who were in a boat, saw Jesus walking toward them on water tossed by waves from a contrary wind, he asked:
"Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:28-29, KJV).
But something happened to Peter in the process. The text tells us:
"But when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matt 14:30-31, KJV).
Facing life’s trials is a lot like launching out into the deep or stepping out of the boat. When we’ve finally risked enough to step out and then find ourselves confronted with overwhelming odds, we immediately cry out for Jesus to deliver us. But the Lord is saying, "I want to do more than deliver you. I want to develop you."
Even in the test that Satan prepared for Peter we can see how Jesus was trying to develop Peter’s character. "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee" (Luke 22:31-32, KJV). Surely Peter must have been shocked to hear of Satan’s plan to sift him; but I’m sure he was relieved that Jesus had prayed for him. By now Simon Peter knew that the Father always heard and answered Jesus’ prayers.
What could Peter have possibly thought when he discovered that Jesus had not prayed for the relief of sifting? Rather, Jesus said, "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren"(Luke 22:32, KJV). Jesus prayed only that Simon Peter’s faith would stand the test and that the test would strengthen him.
You, too, will be tested. The wind and the waves of the open sea are designed to test your commitment to the Lord. He wants you to have more than a shallow experience with Him; He wants you to know His depths. A deep relationship with God requires deep testing, and deep testing requires deep faith. The Lord designs and tailors our testing so that we might earn the right of passage to walk with Him at deeper levels.
The psalmist said, "O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1, KJV). If the Lord harbored you at the same, safe place all your life, you would never grow. Periodically He calls you to launch out into the deep, to step out of the boat and face life’s storms with Him. If you refuse to trust Jesus and risk the journey, then you will never know the joy of deep intimacy with Him. In this untested condition you may remain unfit for service and possibly never reach your destiny.
Yet, if you will step out of the boat and test the water, you will learn who God is and who you are, and your faith will grow under the pressure. These experiences will develop a Christ-like sensitivity and sympathy for others who are facing life’s hardships. You know what they are going through, for you have been there, too.