And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4, ESV)
The crowd surrounding Jesus pressed close in their desire to hear the Word of God. To make it easier for everyone, Jesus stepped into a nearby fishing vessel and asked Simon, the owner, to move out from the shore a little way. The listeners could hear Him better that way. As Jesus finished speaking, He told Simon (later called Peter) to move the ship farther out and to drop the nets to catch fish.
Peter was weary after a long night of fishing that had resulted in empty nets and no fish. He wasn’t interested in heading out again. He and his partners just wanted to finish putting away their nets and go home to rest.
A TRUE FISH STORY
Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen. They knew how to fish, and they felt going back out would be wasted effort after a long, weary night. Now Jesus was telling them to do just that.
“And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” (Luke 5:5, ESV)
“At your word,” That was the key. As weary as the men were, they were willing to head back out to try once more. Jesus said to go, and they went.
“And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.” (Luke 5:6, ESV)
What logic said was wasted effort became one of the greatest fish stories ever. Peter, his brother Andrew, and their partners, James and John, filled both ships with the fish.
Peter placed his trust in the words of Jesus, not in logic that said just stay on the shore.
LEAVING OUR COMFORT ZONE
Sometimes it’s difficult for us to step out of our comfort zone to tackle something new. We may lack confidence in our abilities. Or perhaps we question if we are really hearing God’s voice. Don’t let doubt and fear hold you back from something the Lord is telling you to do.
Here are some lessons we can learn from this fishing story:
- Trust God as you launch out. His plans for you are perfect. He will guide you as you answer His call. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, ESV).
- Don’t allow fear to hold you back from obeying God’s voice. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (II Timothy 1:7, ESV).
- Recognize that God has blessed you with certain abilities. When He calls us, He enables us. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, ESV).
- Don’t settle for the shallows. Had Peter and Andrew stayed close to the shoreline, they would not have caught any, fish. God told them to “put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4, ESV).
God has some amazing things waiting for you as you launch out into the deep. Just step into the ship and move away from the shore.
Devotion by Mary Loudermilk
