Do not fear!

When I was a youth, I remember one Saturday afternoon out on a lake in TN working as a crew to my parents in a regatta. My mother, the skipper, was an intense competitor. She, Dad, and I were so focused on the race and the positions of the other boats that we didn't anticipate the sudden storm envelope us. Seemingly out of the blue, we were being pounded by heavy rain and high winds threatening to sink our 17 foot Thistle sailboat. We became disoriented as we lost all sight of shore. My dad and I alternated bailing out the boat and hiking out on the rail to keep from sinking or capsizing. My fears were swallowing me as I worked alongside them. But I was with my strong parents and trusted them.

Simon Peter is out on his fishing boat with Jesus and when he casts his nets deep and wide, a crisis strikes. As Eugene Peterson paraphrases in The Message, "It was no sooner said than done - a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch." (Luke 5: 6-7).

To catch the context and the whole story, read Luke 5: 1-11.

Have you experienced similar crises? Has your boat been so swamped with demands, you felt as if you're sinking? Have you been pressured to lie (even a little white lie) or cheat or skimp or evade the truth so that you were filled with guilt or shame? Have you lost your way so that you felt as if you were out in the middle of the ocean with no sign of the shore or another person to come on board and help? Have you ever been so tired or discouraged or filled with despair that everything looks as black as the deepest waters?

Jesus' response is: Fear not. I am with you.

Sometimes Jesus' presence is other people who will walk with us through our crises. Sometimes Jesus' presence is the calm or peace we need to breathe through our struggles. Sometimes Jesus' presence is the strength and energy we need to tackle our battles. Sometimes Jesus' presence comes in trusting that the fish we need to quench our hungers will become available if we but open our eyes and heart to see.

What Jesus does NOT say is, "Settle in and close your eyes and deny your struggles." Partnering with Jesus to bring in the kingdom here on earth is costly discipleship demanding long nights and hard labor. For as Jesus draws us closer to him, he also draws us into deeper waters where fruitfulness, blessings, and an abundance of grace await us. This is where we are freed from the nets that bind us to meaninglessness are broken. This is where life abundant resides.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Shelley