Doing Business on Great Waters

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

Where are you doing business? Are you doing business where it is the safest or where there are the greatest opportunities? Do you trust God to protect you on great waters?

Let’s explore this topic together in today’s devotional:

I have always seen business as one of those activities that can cause an atheist to become a Christian, and a Christian to be converted to become a true follower of Christ. Business is an activity of great risks and those who truly succeed at it, whether they are Christians or not, go through great challenges before experiencing success and victory. Many have found Christ in the midst of failed businesses, while some do so in midst of trials within the business. There are very few activities that test your faith as much as starting and growing a business to its fullest potential. Those who wish to achieve business success must do business on great waters.

The unfortunate thing is that many Christians are unable to grow successful businesses because they are afraid of the great waters, not realizing that the great waters are where they will experience the power, provision, and protection of God. In Psalm 107:23-24, the Psalmist describes those who see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep as the entrepreneurs who go down to the sea in ships and do business on great waters. He goes further in the later verses to say that as those entrepreneurs do business on those great waters, they are able to see God command and raise the stormy wind, and as they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, He brings them out of their distress, He calms the storm so that its waves are still, and He guides them to their desired haven.

Do you want to see the works of the Lord? Do you want to experience the goodness of God? Do you want to see His power and His saving grace?

Move from the seashore and take your business to the middle of the sea and on the great waters. On the great waters, there is the harvest; on the great waters, there is mercy and grace of God; and on the great waters, there is divine protection and provision. The great waters are symbolic of the turbulence of the market. It is the place where you take the most risks and must put your total trust and confidence in God.

I’m reminded of Luke 5:16 where the story is told of Jesus meeting four entrepreneurs who operated a fishing business. These fishermen had been fishing all night and had caught nothing because they were fishing in the shallow areas of the sea. Jesus came and borrowed their boats to use as a pulpit to preach to the multitude that was following Him and as a thank you, He instructed them on how to catch fish. His instruction was that they should launch out into the deep. In other words, they should go out into the great waters and there they will receive the provisions of God. Our concern about the great waters is that it makes us feel totally insecure and the risk seems to be so high. What we must realize is that the place where we have the greatest protection and provision is on the great waters.

You don’t need God in the shallow waters. You don’t need God to help you do what you can do yourself. You need God to help you do what you can not do on your own.

So, if you want to experience God’s power, provision, and protection and take your business to the next level, move from the shallow areas of the market and go out and do business on great waters. There, you will surely experience His Power, His Provision, and His Protection. As you do so, remember to thank Him for His goodness and for His wonderful works to His children. Exalt Him among others and praise Him in the company of the elders for He is good and His mercy endures forever.

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the courage to do business on great waters and the grace to experience His goodness and protection.