"And it came to pass, that, as they pressed upon Him to hear the word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret and saw two ships standing by the Lake; but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when He had left speaking, He said to Simon, Launch our into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” (Luke 5:1-4)
“…the people pressed upon Him….” Our being in the place where we can receive the anointed Word should be more important to us than seeking satisfaction from other things. The Lord will respond to our need when we place Him first in all that we seek and desire.
“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mathew 6:33)
This is the main requirement for the deeper working off the Lord in our spiritual experience, and will lead to the gaining of God’s divine favour resting on our lives.
“He…saw two ships.” These are always present, and speak of a choice that must be made, “His way“, or “our way."
“He entered into one of the ships.” The Lord will step into our “need” when we choose His way.
“He…thrust out a little from the land.” The “land” speaks of the natural realm - our everyday life experiences, with us in control. The “water” speaks of the spiritual realm - the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit, with Him in control.
The fact that He only “thrust out a little” means that the water is “shallow.” It’s here that we learn how to respond to the presence and power of God. This includes learning how to respond to the gifts and movings of the Holy Spirit. Our responses may result in laughing , shaking, falling, weeping, joy. The responses to His Spirit will be as varied as we are Jesus chose to teach us in “shallow” water, so we can learn how to function in the deeper realms of the Spirit of God. This can be compared to children being given “educated toys.” In shallow water, there may be some mixture, our feet touching the land under the water (sometimes us, sometimes in the Spirit). But, it’s here that we make our mistakes and learn the principles that will prepare us for the “deep.”
Therefore, some consider these movings of the Spirit to be spiritually shallow. If we become critical of judgmental of these manifestations, we may grieve the Holy Spirit and be left behind, becoming spiritually barren.
Only after Jesus had taught the people in the “shallow” place could He say, “launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught.” Here, the response will be in deeper levels of burdens for others, repentance, or prayer and intercession that will not only change us, but will deeply impact the lives of others.
If we don’t meet the Lord in the shallow places, we will never be prepared for the deep, and we may miss having a part with Jesus in the coming day of His power.
