Luke 5:1-11 - Step of Faith

Wrote March 23, 2015....
What an emotional day yesterday! Wow! The impact of being reminded of my reconciliation with the Lord as I looked at the rock at Peter's Premacy at the Sea of Galilee brought me to tears. When we took the boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee, I was blessed with praying after Pastor Shahade shared. Then as I walked down into the Jordan River to be re-baptized by my husband...oh my! Once again the tears started flowing. The Lord is so wonderful in the way He loves me. He is so wonderful in the way He blesses me with His strength to make this trip. 

When I woke up Monday morning after the weekend of touring, I honestly didn't think I would make it up to shower let alone "do" the day. But His strength is perfect! And boy did I need it in not only the physical sense but in the emotional and mental sense. When I was told it was my day to share devotions (I had it in my mind that it was Wednesday), my first thought was "oh no!" But immediately the Lord gave me words to share. What a blessing! He told us from the beginning to "take a step of faith" and we have. We took a step of faith with finances for the trip. We took a step of faith with our health issues. We took a step of faith with safety for travel and for our time while in Israel. It was through our steps of faith that we contiue to be blessed in abundance.

While in Israel we were blessed by...

• working with a great group of people
• meeting Pastor Shahada and his family
• touring the places where we have read about but now can actually visulize
• loving on people, whether it be through a smile to those who speak a different language or through repairing their church building
• experiencing a different culture with different foods and practices
• basking in the Lord's presence in the beauty of His creation of the Holy Land
• having His strength in an abundance

I feel so blessed through this experience. I know it is only through His grace, His mercy, His love that I was enabled to be on this journey. It truly has been the journey of a lifetime. To walk where the Lord walked...to hear the history and reflect back on the stories in the Bible while being in the same place as they happened...to feel His presence in a whole different way...oh my! Words can't even begin to explain the emotions felt during the time in the Holy Land. At times the tears flowed...sometimes they were tears of sorrow and sometimes they were tears of joy. (I am grateful the Lord created us with emotions, even though sometimes they can be overwhelming!)

I pray the things I learned and experienced while in Israel will enable me to teach with a deeper understanding. As I have walked in these places, I pray I will be able to explain them better as I teach and as I share with others.

Luke 5:1-11 reads...

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish."

"Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."

And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me—I'm too much of a sinner to be around you."

For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.  Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!"

And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Wow...this scripture took on a whole new meaning after being on the Sea of Galilee. Pastor Shahade challenged us to go "deep" and to be "immediate" people. He told us he was encouraged by us being people with a sense of urgency and not afraid to go into the deep. He told us that as we go into the deep to make fishers of men the Lord will provide and bless us.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for telling us from the first moment we heard of this trip to Israel to "take a step of faith." Thank You for providing the funds for this trip! Thank You for giving us the health to take the trip. Lord, You are so awesome! I praise Your Holy Name for the moment I dipped my feet in the Sea of Galilee. I praise Your Holy Name for the moment I was re-baptized in the Jordan River. Most of all I praise You for giving me this opportunity to share with my husband as we walk where You walked. Amen.