Jesus Boat

Isaiah 33:6 (ESV)

And he will be the stability of your times,

    abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

    the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.

It was 1986, in the midst of a three year drought, when two brothers who lived in a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee made an incredible discovery. As these two fishermen monitored their equipment on the lake, they noticed something glistening in the sun covered in mud. It was a fishing boat. Upon deeper examination, archaeologists determined that these two brothers had discovered an ancient boat from the time of Jesus. It's was called the "Jesus boat" and is now located in a museum next to the Sea of Galilee.

Hidden under water for centuries, the only reason it was discovered was that the severe drought had lowered the lake surface so drastically; so that even when no one was looking for it -- this treasure was discovered totally unexpectedly.

As we look around us we can see that it is becoming more and more spiritually dry in this world and sometimes I wonder, will anything good ever come out of this mess? Yet I think the same thing can happen for us as happened to those two fisherman. When things get low, and dry, and sparse, suddenly when we least expect it, God can reveal treasure that we couldn't see or know about because everything was abundantly okay. Maybe it's a friendship that blossoms because of the pressure or need ... or, maybe just a new and deeper insight into the Lord's own sufferings; or maybe a new spiritual gift of encouragement, there are many possibilities. Why not start looking for them, because they might appear when we least expect it.

Dear Lord, help us keep our eyes open for that things around us. Help us to be diligent in spreading Your love to the world around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.