Rafts, boats and ships

Today, I received a "picture" in my spirit which I will try to articulate here. The pictures included a young child in a blow-up raft-like boat on a lake, a man on a sailboat, working the rigging, and finally, the captain of a cruise-ship, out on the ocean.

Here is what I believe God spoke to me through these pictures. When we are young in the Lord, we are entrusted with the blow-up raft and really must stay close to the shoreline, like a child because neither we nor our vessel could handle the choppy waves and high winds a lake or the ocean would throw at us. God knows this.

However, we quickly move from raft-status to boat-status, being entrusted with sails or engines and a craft that can maneuver and be maneuvered through both wind and waves and successfully reach point B from point A. In addition, God entrusts us with those aboard our boats. The blow-up raft held just us, but now, we have been trained in the ways of the Kingdom and entrusted with lives to disciple.

Finally, the picture of the doomed cruise ship which recently crashed on shallow rocks near the shoreline brought home the reality of responsibility as well as the negligence evident in our own lives as well as in the lives of many people, sadly. As we grow in the Lord, and move from the boat to the cruise-ship and are placed in roles of tremendous responsibility, we move out into deeper waters. It is there that we must stay if we are to sail both us and those entrusted to us safely from point A to point B. Attempting to return to the shallower waters for whatever reason is not only foolishness, but can bring tragedy.

The captain of the fated cruise-liner not only showed lack of maturity and responsibility, but also gross negligence as he moved from making a bad decision to lying about it. He's not alone in the universe as he joins a great company of folks who have done the same, from Adam in the Garden to Peter who thrice denied his Lord. To make a bad choice is one thing; to abandon responsibility and allow others to die while you save yourself is the epitamy of immaturity when applied to Kingdom living.

I am in no way standing in judgement of the captain of the fated ship. This is purely being used as an illustration of a much deeper lesson and reality. There are so many things going on in the world today, in our nation today, laws and bills being passed which are akin to running a packed cruise ship too close to shallow, rocky shores. Is there hope? Of course! With God there is ALWAYS hope because He is the hopeful God! However, it takes steering the ship back out into the deeper waters of His love, His perspective, His ways of functioning, His ancient Truths and pathways. Only there will captains and passengers be not only safe, but also enjoying the journey.

There are so many things unfolding that "appear" to be good, but are simply jagged rocks waiting to take down the entire cruise ship. God, we pray for leaders in all arenas of society, that they would hear Your voice and make decisions not based on whim and fancy but on the DEEP TRUTHS of Your Kingdom.