Prepare for Easter

Thursday, March 12, 2020

About My Father’s Business:

A Lenten Devotional Guide

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of Bod, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake….Luke 5:1-2 NASB

Sometimes when I am involved in something that seems extremely important, something or someone distracts me, and I am irritated that I could not finish what I was doing. Later, I look back at the moment and realize the distraction was from God, who had something more important that he wanted me to attend to.

Perhaps God allowed Jesus this distraction for a purpose. As he was preaching, Jesus noticed two empty boats. It’s times like these in Jesus’ life that I recognize I have a lot to learn. There is no evidence of hesitation. He just went, got in one of the boats, and asked its owner to put out away from the shore. Then he used the boat as a pulpit, and continued his preaching. One difference, however. Now he had the attention of the owner of the boat who just happened to be Peter.

Small thing? Perhaps. But Jesus’ immediate response to a momentary distraction brought him into personal contact with a man who would later be used mightily of God to continue to do the Father’s business, long after Jesus had returned to heaven. Jesus’ getting into Peter’s boat got his attention and opened a door to a far-reaching consequence.

We don’t always recognize open boats. Are we so rigid and our schedules so fixed that we miss an empty boat here and there? Even important business at hand can keep us from an opportunity to impact someone’s life.

Father, lead us to the open boats and take us to your business. Amen

About My Father’s Business:

A Lenten Devotional Guide
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Homosassa, Florida
Spring 2010
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator