When Jesus Gets in our Boat

Have you ever wondered why you worked so hard on a project and it didn’t measure up to the toil you put into it? Have you ever really done your best to improve a relationship, but it never got better? Did pressure ever consume you and relief never came? The answer might be quite simple. Maybe matters never got better because you never invited God to be a part of it.

Remember the story of Andrew and Simon Peter and their empty fishing nets in Luke 5? They had toiled all night without catching a single fish. But when Jesus got into their boat and they did what He told them to do (“Let down the nets for a catch”), God did the rest. They caught so many fish that their nets began to break, and they needed to get extra help to bring the load in.

What was different when they couldn’t catch anything and the moment when they had too much fish to handle? It’s the same lake, the same boat, the same nets, the same fishermen, and the same fish. The difference between empty nets and abundance was Jesus’ presence in the boat.

It was a game-changer. They were no longer fishing by themselves. God was in their boat. So, what’s your boat? Your boat may be whatever it is to make a living, or that project you are giving your all to or it may be your family’s dynamics. No matter what it is, if we want God to bless us in any area of life, we need to invite Him to be a part of it.

Oh, I know we are God’s beloved children and having Jesus with us in our “boats” is assumed. But, there’s this part of us that chooses to do life “our way” instead of His way. And His way means dedicating all of who we are – to Him.

When Peter and Andrew did that, God gave them more fish than they could handle. How did those guys go from nothing to abundance? They let Jesus use their boat as a platform for His ministry.

We don’t pray that God will make us a success so we can serve Him. We do the opposite. We give God everything – our careers, family, projects, desires, and dreams. That’s when God does a miracle.

Whatever we want God to bless, we give Him first place in it. That means we’re no longer “just a” parent, spouse, teacher, accountant, sales rep. We turn the oars or the steering wheel over to Him and we make the commitment to partner with Him in every area of life.

Remember Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. She says: “I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go. Give me one more chance. Jesus, take the wheel.”

The Bible says, “Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17). THAT is Jesus in the boat with us. THAT is Jesus taking the wheel.

Everything means everything. Let’s FIRST ask Jesus to take control of our boat. Then, let’s allow Him to navigate our lives, our career, our family, our project to the “fishing hole” where His abundance flows.

I’m thinking I’m going to take it a step further. Not only am I inviting Him into my boat – I am handing over the steering wheel to Him. Jesus, take the wheel. You are in control! I am not!