No Waste in the WaitingSample

Is Jesus in Your Boat?

When Jesus approached the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake with no fisherman; they were out of their boats washing their nets.

One of the fishermen, Peter, was frustrated and mumbling under his breath, as a night of fishing had yielded nothing. Simon’s boat was empty and unprosperous, yet it was the boat that Jesus chose to sit in.

Jesus did not ask to sit in the most successful boat—the boat that had caught the most fish. He wanted to sit in what was not working. 

Jesus knew what was about to happen in that boat, but he wanted to see if Peter would trust him in lack before he blessed him with plenty.

It is the same for us. Know that God is willing to sit in your dysfunction—when things are not going well. He wants to sit with you in your boat and wait with you.

But have you given up? Are you sitting on the shore washing your nets in anger and frustration because things are not going the way that you planned? Jesus called Peter to trust him and join him in the boat. Peter was doubtful but obedient as the stranger led him out into the deep.

Trusting God in the waiting is what leads him to take you out into the deep. In the deep, he can show you why things aren’t working. In the deep he can tell you to cast your nets on the other side this time.

In the deep, he can prosper you because you trusted him on the shore. We all want the miracle. We all want our nets to be overflowing. But go back to the beginning of the story, that is where the real lesson is found.

The miracle of the fish that Peter experienced is not what deepens our faith. It is when we allow Jesus to come and sit with us right where we are that accelerates us to the next level.

Allow Jesus to come and sit with you in your boat. 

There is nothing wasted in the waiting.