Launch out into the deep… Luke 5:4
Dear Father,
This morning I am in Safe Harbor where you have provided calm waters and gentle breezes. I have weathered some ferocious storms and my little boat has taken a beating. There have been torrential rains and hurricane winds tossing me about in the blackest of nights. But you kept my head above water. I’ve surely been doused with tumultuous salty seawater but I did not sink. You kept me on course when I could not see through the storm. We may have been rocking and reeling with every cresting wave but O Lord did we ever sail! However, I know there is something worse than the hounding and pounding of typhoons and that is to go through days when there is no wind at all. Nothing moving my sail – just drifting for days on end in as the sun beats down on me. And that is how some of your children live. Called to transport the good news of Jesus but never raising our sails and filling them with the wind of your life-moving Spirit. Instead we prefer the sights and sounds of the shore and leave our sails unfurled. We just drift powerless alongside the coast never realizing that we are sunburned from exposure and barnacles have crusted over our rudders. O Lord, don’t let us be high-sea drifters. Teach us the ropes. Help us to remember that we don’t have to be afraid. You are our life preserver in seas of change and confusion. You are our beacon guiding us through the fog amid the rocky coasts, and you are the anchor that never severs or tangles. Now Captain of my life, in your wisdom you have brought me to dock so that I can be restored and out-rigged for more distant shores. Thank you for rest. But dear Father you have reminded me that the open seas are where I belong. Yes, the harbor is safe and it provides comfort but I was made to navigate the deep and lead others to you. Thank you for these times when you allow me to pull into port and replenish. Please make me seaworthy and use me as a vessel that honors you. How awesome it is to know that you have put your Name on the bow of my boat and I am known as yours. What a privilege and honor to be in your fleet. I praise you Almighty God for the smooth waters that are mine today as you prepare me for voyages to come. Carry me far. How wide, how long, how deep, how high is your love for me. My Lord, I adore you. Amen.
Penny
