If He Says So

"He said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.' Simon replied, 'Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will lower the nets.' This they did and caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.'" - Luke 5:4-6

If at first you don't succeed… we've all heard this phrase a bunch of times. And I'm sure there are also a lot of things that each of us is trying to succeed in, but with no luck. When something we really wanted doesn't work out, we feel like a failure. We get so mad at ourselves, and even with others. The frustration holds us back from even trying again. That's what was going on with Simon Peter and the other fishermen. They kept trying to fish and it just wasn't working. Their lives depended on that catch. They were poor fishermen with large families. They had to make it happen. So imagine how he felt when Jesus comes along and tells him to lower the nets again. I can imagine him thinking to himself, "who does this guy think he is? I spend all day trying and I get nowhere and now this preacher man wants to come waste my time and act like he knows more than me?" I'm sure if so many people weren't there Simon Peter would have just told Jesus to get lost. But, despite his frustration, and maybe even to prove Jesus wrong, he lowered his nets again, and Luke says the nets came back so full that they began to break!

What I keep going back to in this story is when Simon Peter says to Jesus, "if you say so." He was so frustrated and tired, completely without hope… just how we get sometimes. We don't want anyone telling us what to do because we've already convinced ourselves that it won't work. But even though Simon Peter didn't believe at the moment, he let himself be guided by Jesus and look what happened! What do you think will happen in your life if, despite how you feel or the status of your faith, you said to Jesus, "alright, I'm not sure about this, but if you say so, I'll try again." A net full of fish probably isn't what you need, but Jesus' care for us stays the same. If you trust in Him and do as He says, He'll give you much more than you ever asked for or imagined!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You know I get frustrated and hopeless at times. Please help me to just keep trusting in You, even when things are going in the opposite direction of what I want. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.