Do we realize that in order to be filled with God, we must first empty ourselves of our own strivings, self-sufficiency, and self-will. How much time do we waste, and often never recover, because we refuse to empty ourselves of all the things that get in God’s Way. He has the solution to every life problem. He knows the plans He has for our lives and too often, we refuse to get out of His way so He can do the incredible things He has planned for us.
In today’s devotional, I want to pull an excerpt from my first book, “The Power of Empty”.
“In Luke 5, we see that Jesus had been preaching the good news of the kingdom on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. So many people were pressing in to Him that they were literally pushing His back against the waters, so He looked for a more convenient spot. As He looked around, He noticed two empty boats at the edge of the sea’s shore. The owners were washing their nets because they had been out all night fishing and had caught nothing. Fishing nets were very important. It was necessary to keep them free of weeds and other debris and to be ready for the next fishing venture. Jesus asked Simon, one of the boat’s owners, if he would mind pushing Him a little way from the shore so He could continue teaching about the kingdom for a while. When Jesus had completed His teaching, Jesus told Simon, the owner, to launch his boat out into the deeper waters and let down his nets to catch fish.
This was a strange request because all good fishermen know that fishing is best at night when the fish come closer to the surface for feeding. The fishermen also knew that during the day, the fish will go deeper into the waters to avoid the heat of the sun, so nets are of little value during daytime fishing. Do we ever question the way we are told by Holy Spirit to do something? Do we ever feel God is telling us to do something that does not follow man’s reasoning? Are we filled with the way we’ve always done it, even if we have no real fruit to show for it? Jesus was telling an experienced fisherman to go against the norms for day fishing and follow His advice. Surely the Master must have known that they had been fishing in that very spot all night and had caught nothing. But there was something different this time.
If we look at the Hebrew word for boat, we find it is the word tebah, made up of the Hebrew letters Tet, Bet, and Heh. Interestingly, Tet is the first letter used in the Hebrew word, and its Hebrew graphic is clearly that of a boat or vessel. Bet is the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet and means “house or dwelling place.” It represents Jesus as the Word of God. Heh is the 5th letter of the alphabet and represents the goodness and grace of God. So just as Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 4:7 and 2 Corinthians 6:16, the Holy Spirit finds His residence inside of the dwelling place of our lives—our boat. And Jesus is always in the middle of the provision that God’s grace has provided to and for us.
Looking more closely at this Hebrew word for boat, tet-bet-heh, we see that Jesus (bet) was in the middle of the boat with the disciples; as such, it contained no ordinary cargo. Jesus was no ordinary fisherman and the ordinary fishing boat from the night before had now become a vessel for the purposes of God. The undistinguished, ordinary fishing boat now had become a vessel for supernatural provision and miracles. What was ordinary yesterday had become extraordinary that day because Jesus was now in the midst of their efforts, and this made all the difference. We know the rest of the story. The disciples caught so many fish that their nets broke, and they had to call for help to save their sinking, overloaded boats. What do you have that is ordinary and has produced little results in your life? What have you worked hard to accomplish, only to return with empty nets, tired with sore muscles, and frustrated from your efforts? Maybe it’s a job; a business; or a ministry. Maybe it is a marriage that just continues to bring more heartache than blessing and fulfillment. Do the circumstances overwhelm you until you feel ready to give up? God will often use circumstances to move us out of the old season and into the new season. However, God always pays for what He asks us to do. Let me explain. Do we realize the value of this miracle of the fishes?
Research by Shelley Houser shows the economic impact of the fish caught in those two boats. (An Estimate of the Value of Two Boatloads of Fish, As Recorded in Luke 5:1-11, by Shelley Helzerman Houser, http://www.academia.edu) Ms. Houser determined that based on the size of the two boats and the price for fish and the wages received on that day, each of the four fishing partners received approximately 25 years’ worth of salary from that one haul of fish.
Was Jesus just blessing them for the use of the boats the day before? No! Jesus had a purpose for the men. He offered to them a new life assignment and a new season! They would now become fishers of men. Have we ever wondered why they would just walk away from their family and leave their business? Who would support their family? Who would care for their children? God would! God never takes us into the new season of our lives empty-handed. The men saw two ordinary boats used for ordinary purposes become the vehicle God would use to provide for their new assignment. They had more than enough to support themselves and their family for years to come. Fear will often cause us to hold tight to our empty boats, robbing us of the blessings God has for us and the assignment that is to follow.”
The Power of Empty…Donna Wise
