A Prayer for the Deep Waters of Life
By: Maggie Meadows Cooper
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” – Luke 5:4
Recently, I spent time with several women who are striving to truly experience the Lord’s presence and live through the Spirit’s power and strength in their daily lives. They’ve been diving into His Word like never before and seeking to move past surface-level Christianity. But it’s not easy, y’all. So, I’ve been thinking about what that really looks like… and how we live that out.
This past Sunday, at church, we studied the story of the Miracle Catch in Luke Chapter 5:1-11. Jesus had been teaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and noticed two empty boats. He chose to step into Simon Peter’s boat, and had him push it out into the water, where he sat and taught awhile. When He was done, He turned to Simon in verse 4 and said, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” After some back and forth, Simon decided to listen to Jesus, and he went. His nets were so full from the amount of fish he caught, that they began to tear, and he had to call for help! Simon was so overcome that he fell at Jesus’ feet. Jesus said to him, “From now on, you’ll be fishing for people!”
There is so much more we could talk about in this story, but for now, this one thing is what the Lord laid on my heart: Jesus didn’t allow Simon to stay by the shore…or even to simply go out a little way. Jesus told him to go out where it was deeper.
This isn’t the only place where we see Jesus’ disciples in deep water. When Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27, He and His disciples were going “across the lake.” And when He walked on water in Matthew 14:22-36, the disciples were “far away from the land.”
What was the reasoning for sending His disciples into deep water? And how does this relate to us as we grow our relationship with the Lord and begin to share Him with others?
Here are a few things to consider:
First, Deep water requires deep faith.
When fishing in shallow water, you can generally see the bottom, but in deep water, you can’t see very far below the surface, unless you have a powerful light source.
If Jesus allowed the disciples to stay close to the shore, they wouldn’t need His light to see what was around them or catch the “fish” he sent them for. The uncertainty that they felt wouldn’t exist, and the reliance and faith they had to put in Him, wouldn’t happen because they would be able to “see” without believing. The number of fish that they caught in deep, dark water, could only happen because of a supernatural source drawing them in. And it is the same way today.
Second, Deep water means facing deep things.
Sometimes it takes drowning in our own sorrow and facing really hard things about ourselves to see and feel and realize the depths of the Lord’s love and provision for us.
When we go out into the deep, Jesus meets us where we are. And we have an obligation to meet others there too….even when you feel uncomfortable, ill-equipped, and maybe even a little hypocritical.
Jesus sent the disciples into the deep water so He could show up in an inconvenient, uncomfortable place. Out in the deep is where He met each of them individually. And that’s what love is: showing up in inconvenient, uncomfortable places, where Jesus works in miraculous ways when we are willing to let Him.
Third, Deep water causes deep fear.
In each of the three stories about Jesus’ disciples mentioned above, deep waters weren’t the only thing they had in common. In every one, Jesus had to tell his friends not to be afraid (Luke 5:10, Matt. 8:26, Matt.14:27).
If we choose to go into the deep places with people, the hard, dark, scary places where we can’t see what may happen next and don’t know what to expect, we need an anchor to hold us fast. That anchor is Jesus. And He is right here with all of us who believe.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for the deep waters of life. Thank you for the opportunity to trust you more, know you more, and see your miracle-working power up close. Help me to shine your light brightly, especially when I may not be able to see what’s up ahead. Help me seek you above all else and go forward boldly, without fear! And when my flesh and my heart fail, remind me that my strength is found in You alone (Psalm 73:26).
In Your Mighty Name,
Amen
Maggie Meadows Cooper is a wife, mom, educator, author, and blogger with a longing for women to grow a heart for Jesus and others. She is the author of the children’s book “Bumper” and blogs at The Little Moments about what the Lord is teaching her through her children and everyday life. She contributes to Blogs by Christian Women, Devotional Diva, She Disciples, and Connecting Ministries. An educator with an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University (War Eagle!), she has twenty years of experience working with young children. She loves all things chocolate, real Coca-Cola, and lives with her husband, three children, and two rambunctious dogs in Opelika, Alabama.
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Originally published Monday, 18 April 2022.
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