boatload (times three)

Friday, May 13, 2011 (6:06 a.m.)

Most Blessed Lord God,

We have got a boatload of unfinished business going on around here. There are so many things I have started, stopped and just left lying around.

How cool are You that just as my focus had planned to be on the unfinished business aspect, you led my choice of descriptive words away from ‘truckload’ to ‘boatload’. No sooner had I thought the word than the story of You calling Your first disciples [and their amazing catch] came to mind.

Saturday, May 14, 2011 (7:48 a.m.)

Throughout much of yesterday and again this morning I have found myself singing ♫I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men… If you follow me♫ Lord, how good You are.

(8:28 a.m.)

My attention continues to be distracted. There is a problem. The proverbial elephant/gorilla in the living room that has gone resolved all these months.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 (6:24 a.m.)

What say I actually finish this prayer to You this morning? First of all I want to thank You for keeping me with Luke 5:1-11 all this time. I have actually taken it with me, in physical form, everywhere I’ve gone the last many days.

When I first came to You on Friday my focus was ever so much more on the problems of this household. Reading of “An Amazing Catch of Fish” on the day You called Your first disciples, I keep coming back to Peter’s (then known as Simon) second part of his reply to You when You told him to take his boat out deeper and let down his nets.

“Sir, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, we’ll try again.”

Blessed Lord how very much time we spend working hard with little to no results. Oh, but one word from You and we are willing to try again. You are so good Lord. So true. So amazing. Which leads me right into the singing of another song ♫Jesus Messiah, name above all names Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel The rescue for sinners The ransom from Heaven Jesus Messiah, Lord of all… Love so amazing♫

You Lord are truly “Love so amazing”! Love in the flesh. Love sent here by the Father to teach us how to truly love one another. Oh most dear and blessed Lord, how VERY much I thank You for this love. This love, so amazing!

Recovery commentary to the Scripture referenced above describes Your chosen disciples as “certainly persistent in their fishing”. “But” it says, “doing things their way just wasn’t enough.” LORD! How closely do I resemble this statement!

For so many years we have continued with the same way of doing things. A pattern of ‘fear, guilt and shame’ was set for us long ago and we have stuck to its insidiousness all this time. But this past week You called us to go out where it is deeper, to a new level of love. You gave us Your Word and told us to “function” in it. That has been our new standard this week. We keep coming back to it. To You! Confessing, “Sir, we worked hard… but if You say so, we’ll try again.”

The remainder of the commentary describes us in even greater detail, “As soon as they followed Jesus’ advice, as crazy as it sounded, they experienced abundant success. We may be struggling to attain recovery on our own. We may be diligent, hard working, and disciplined. However, if we don’t do things God’s way, no amount of hard work will bring the desired results.” Oh most blessed Lord, thank You for knowing our character so well. Thank You for always being ahead of our mistakes.

“Following God’s will for our life is the only program that will lead to success. We may think the truth found in God’s Word seems crazy. But as we follow God’s program obediently and with His gracious help, we will experience His powerful help for our recovery.”

Thank You for being willing to come be the Lord of our lives! Thank You for teaching and even watching us fail all the while knowing that it is when we finally come to the end of ourselves and utter those yielded words that You can perfect Your will in us. “But if You say so, we’ll try again.” Ah Lord, thank You! I love You. Amen.

(741 words ~ 7:35 a.m.)