Luke 8:22-25 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Nine in this series, seeking ten devotionals. Our focus falls upon “they launched forth”.
What do you see in your mind’s eye when you hear the word launch? Is it a bass boat from a trailer hauled by your pick-up truck? Is it the early morning NASA launch of the space shuttle? Is it the capsule camera viewing the earth pull away more and more until the booster rockets separate? Perhaps it is one of those nostalgic films of a first lady of better days with a champagne bottle being broken over a ship’s hull.
Having grown up on the coast my vision is more subtle. The shipyard launches the hull out of the shipyard without splendor and ceremony. The first launch is the hull only. No steering, no fittings, no sails or motors, not even a deck to stand upon. It is the vessel’s first test to determine if it will float, list, or sink in still water. Its launch is a far cry from the finished product, fit for use.
This is the image of each of us as we launch our voyage with Jesus. That vessel may rejoice in just floating and has no idea how the master builder is going to fit and fashion it for use. Those things are developed over time. There may even be a time when the vessel is repurposed, used for needs for which it was not originally designed.
2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.