Sometimes we work with all our might and passion but the result is little or none. Most people have experienced struggles in getting results for a project they have worked on for a long time. I have experienced this at first hand and I know how it feels when your hard work does not seem to pay off. We could be so much engaged in our work and be committed to it such that when it does not yield result, we are left with no choice but to give up. Even the best workers in their field do sometimes experience a state of dryness. What do you do when your best efforts do not yield good results? Do you give up? Do you quit? Do you pack and move to another project? Seemingly failed situations could also be a season of turn around if a sudden turn of event happens. Imagine when the best fishermen go to the sea and fish all night and not a single fish is caught. Did all the fish leave the sea? Were the fishermen operating with a torn net? Did the sea suddenly swallow all the fish that not a single fish remained in the water? Unbelievable right? But most of us have had seasons where our hard work has yielded little or no result. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4) If this sounds familiar to you, then know that you are not alone. The good news is there is someone who can cause a turnaround of events. The miracle of the great catch of fish appears twice in different scenes in the New Testament. Today, we shall focus on the catch that led to the call of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. These men were expert fishermen and the sea had been their office until Jesus called them to follow Him. On that particular day, Simon Peter had given Jesus the opportunity to minister to the people using his boat. After the successful sermon, Jesus told Simon Peter in Luke 5:4 to “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Peter the expert fisherman received fishing instructions from the expert carpenter. Peter could have ignored and packed his nets to go back home. But he listened to Jesus and fished on the Master’s word. Simon acknowledged that, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:4-5). When we fish on the Master’s word, the result is enormous! My popular depiction of this event is the rendition from The Chosen season 1. Simon Peter and Andrew trusted Jesus enough to cast their net again for a catch. Then the miracle happened! Luke 5: 4-7 records that “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.” Whenever we come to our lowest point, we should not stay there. We can give up on our dreams and call it over, or we can give in to our faith and let Him take charge. Many times, we lose focus of what really matters. We get so distracted by what we cannot do to the neglect of what He can do. We can live with an expectation to excel in everything, or we can give chance the opportunity to run our life. Remember, the sea can refuse to give fish all night long but if you hand over your boat to the Master, with just a single launch, you will catch abundant fish that will overwhelm you. Simon Peter and his colleagues had a rough night but at the end of the day, they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed the Master to fish for people. Until you trust Him enough to relaunch your net into the deep, you will not experience the miracle of abundance. Once you pack your net and go back home, you have missed an opportunity to witness a miracle.
top of page
bottom of page
Comments