Some men dig deep into the bowels of the earth in search of diamonds or gold. Usually, the risk men are willing to take and the depth they are willing to go, is determined by the value of what might be excavated. If you know there is something of great value beneath the surface, you are more willing to exert the effort of digging deeper.
My Dad often gave this advice to me as a young boy. Whenever I faced a challenging situation, he would remind me that I might have to “dig down a little deeper” to find the strength and courage to face my problem. As usual, his advice was sound.
I have found the Christian life to be the same way. If you want to extract priceless pearls and wisdom more precious than rubies, you will have to dig deep. The sad testimony is that many Christians could revolutionize their life if they were willing to dig just a little bit deeper. Tragically, they stop just a few inches short of victory.
As we observe the condition of the modern Christian community, one of the things immediately apparent is there are not enough believers who are really living a healthy, growing Christian life. Many have heard the Gospel and have even accepted Christ, but they are missing out on the life changing power available to them.
“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a drought” Luke 5:4
“Launch out into the deep” has a ring of immediacy and urgency about it. One thing you can be sure of is that you cannot expect to have a successful Christian life in this modern world if you just do the nominal. Success seldom comes easy. Jesus taught the disciples a valuable lesson on launching out into the deeper waters.
Usually in the Sea of Galilee, those who fished during the daylight hours fished in the deep waters while the night fishermen found the shallow waters more suitable. When Peter chose to obey Jesus and launch out into the deep, he was choosing to go against his years of experience. The miracle that followed teaches us that one single act of logic-defying obedience can change the course of an entire life. When Peter chose to place his faith in the powerful word of God, his life would never be the same.
Just like Peter, we are also given life changing opportunities to experience the miraculous power of God. Sadly, rather than obey we often prefer to just voice our complaints and stop there.
“Master, we have toiled all the night (utilizing our methods, and safe within our comfort zone) and have taken nothing.”
Luke 5:5
All too often we think our resources are all we need. We have found that just applying a little human effort and utilizing our boat and net will usually bring in all the fish we need. But, sometimes the needs are not met so easy. There are times when you will not reap the miracle by sitting on the dock and casting your net into the shallow waters. Just like Peter’s disappointing night of fishing, we often fail to dig deep enough to experience the miracle.
Just think about it for a moment. Many husbands and wives could bring a much needed restoration to their marriage if they were willing to dig just a little deeper. Parents could make great progress in reclaiming their rebellious children if they would only dig just a little deeper. Yet, digging deeper requires a full commitment. It means you leave the murky waters of shallow Christianity and launch out into the deep.
Perhaps there is someone you need to forgive or something you need to make right, but doing so will require you to dig down a little deeper than you are willing to dig. Could it be your prayer life is missing the vibrancy it needs, or your dedication in studying the Word of God is falling short of your best intentions? Could something as simple as digging a little deeper solve the problem? Are you as faithful to church as you should be? Crawling out of bed on a cold rainy Sunday morning is not easy for anyone, but the faithful are willing to dig down a little deeper and find the will to go forward.
Digging deeper can be hard work. But it is sure better than sitting in the shallows and complaining about how bad things are. Of course, I know a lot of people in the shallows who are very busy, but they are busy doing the wrong things and thereby achieving no lasting fruit for their labor. We can lament the state of our finances, families, and churches, or we can roll up our sleeves, pick up the shovel, and dig a little deeper. It is high time to hoist the sails and launch out into the deep.
But, you are not sure it will work are you? You do not think that revolutionizing your relationship with Christ could possibly be that easy. I wonder what might have been Peter’s thoughts as the Lord told him to launch out into the deep? Perhaps he thought: “What is Jesus talking about? I am sure He is great at carpentry, and I will give Him credit as a great teacher, but fishing is my specialty.” His logic was sound. Few people understood fishing on the Sea of Galilee better than Peter. Nevertheless, Peter, the captain, allowed Jesus, the carpenter, to assume command of the boat.
On many occasions, I have seen experienced teachers at our Academy reach down into their treasure vault of knowledge and give parents priceless advice in raising their children, but all too often it falls on deaf ears. I have discovered many times it is not because the parents are unconcerned or think they know best. Fact is, in most cases, they simply don’t want to exercise the effort to dig down deep enough to address the issue.
Peter had a hundred logical reasons not to obey the words of Jesus, and based on his knowledge and years of fishing experience, most of them were good ones. But Peter was willing to dig deep. So, he turned from his logic and staked everything on Jesus’ word.
“Nevertheless, at Thy word, I will.”
Luke 5:5
When Peter launched out, he was committed to go all the way. He didn’t leave his nets on the shore. Launching out into the deep was only the first half of Jesus’ command. Letting down the nets was just as important.
If you didn’t already know this story, you might guess when Peter saw the “great multitude of fishes” in his net, he would let out a great shout and eagerly calculate his new found wealth and success. On the contrary, Peter’s response was startling:
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished…”
Luke 5:8-9
Warren Wiersbe says of this moment, “Peter was humbled, not by his night of failure but by his astounding success; this is a mark of real character. If success humbles you, then failure will build you up.” As Peter bowed in the presence of Jesus, the Lord brought it all together for Peter, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”
When you are willing to dig deeper you will not just find something of great value, you will find something priceless. No longer would Peter be focused on catching fish, now he found a greater calling than he ever imagined. From now on he would be a fisher of men.
Could it be that God wants to bless you beyond your ability to imagine? Peter was astonished. Perhaps this same astonishment can be yours if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and launch out into the deep with the Lord! Perhaps like Peter, we feel we have areas of our life in which we are knowledgeable and experienced. We may feel we don’t need much help or counsel in those areas. Yet the truth is, in many areas of life, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. We have worked hard, we have used techniques we believed to be sound, yet we have achieved little success. When was the last time you found yourself astonished at something God did in your life? We may be toiling, but are we astonished?
Perhaps the answer to your most challenging problems is simply digging a little deeper. So, go ahead and launch out into the deep, and let the Lord reveal where to cast your nets and devote your energies. May the resulting blessing leave you overwhelmed and astonished.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.