What Will You Say?

When God approaches you and whispers in your heart that He would like you to do something, what is your reaction?

Is your first response an unconditional, “Yes, Lord,” or do you ask for details, apply conditions, suggest someone else, argue for a different approach, try to buy time or put off answering, as so many in Scriptures have done? Perhaps even a flat “no” is the response God has received from you in the past.

Luke 5
v.1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.
v.2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.
v.3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

In this case, Jesus climbed in the boat while it was beached, and then asked Peter, who was not yet following Jesus as a disciple, to put out a little from the shore. Peter was at the end of his work time, having been out all night fishing with nets, which is a very strenuous way to catch fish, and was cleaning/repairing his net so it would be ready for tomorrow night's work.

He didn't argue with Jesus, or express how tired he was or complain about the interruption. He may even have felt flattered that this young rabbi, a rising star and very popular, was asking him to help. Plus, he was getting the best seat in the house to hear what was being taught. Fishermen, with their distinctive aromas of fish and sweat, were not real popular in crowded situations, and were likely to be relegated to the edge of the crowd. He would definitely get some bragging rights from this event. A win-win situation.

v.4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

However, God never asks us to use our resources for His work, and then leave without paying His bill. When Jesus was through teaching the crowd, He turned His attention to Peter. He directed Peter to go out deeper and work some more. Nets, the tools of the trade for Peter, are large, made of heavy rope, awkward to handle, and very heavy when wet. It takes skill to avoid tangling, and strength to cast them properly. And they are not picky about what they gather – any dead branches or floating debris will be picked up on every cast. So simply the act of throwing out the net meant having to clean it all over again, like he had just gotten through doing.

v.5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

This time, faced with a definite drawback to what he was being asked to do, Peter voiced his concern. However, he did follow Jesus' instructions, even though it was more from politeness than from faith, as it was clear he was not expecting anything to come from it.

v.6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
v.7 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.

This was the mother lode! They had worked all night without catching anything, and likely had never seen as much in a whole night's work as they now had in one cast. This would pay the bills, feed the family, get the kids' new sandals, pay down on the loan, get that trinket the wife had been hinting at... They experienced God's abundant, over-flowing, uncontainable blessing. (Was this the first time that Jesus multiplied the fish?)

The catch was more than the tools of his trade could handle and the nets began breaking when they tried to hoist the catch out of the water and into the boat. So while a couple of the men held the net at the water's surface to ease the weight of the fish, the other men knelt down and started simply scooping the fish from the net into the boats on either side of the net. Soon the bottom of the boat was covered with slippery, shiny fish flopping around, and the men were soon in fish up to their ankles, then their calves, while the boats rode lower and lower in the water, and still there were fish to pull out of the net. They finally had to stop when the water threatened to spill over the sides of the boat, and cause them to lose everything, their boat as well as the extraordinary catch.

v.8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
v.9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
v.10a and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Once they realized the very real danger they were facing, the spasm of greed that had overwhelmed them for a time faded, and in that sense of conviction mixed with shame, Peter confessed his awareness of unworthiness even as they were awed by the events of the past few minutes.

v.10b Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
v.11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Jesus, expressing the Father's heart of compassion, grace, and love toward them, reassured Peter that drastic action was not needed, and that, in fact, there was more that Jesus wanted Peter to do. After that reassurance, all the plans that had been circulating in their minds of monetary gain were gone in a flash, and they walked off without a backward glance, captivated by the vision of Jesus' promise to make them fishers of men. They did not fully understand what He meant, but they knew what their hearts felt when He spoke to them.

When God gives you the opportunity to participate in His work, remember that He will bless with far more than He asks you to give. There will always be the temptation to consume those blessings on our lusts, but as our eyes, our thoughts, our hearts stay focused on Him, we will avoid falling in the traps the enemy of God sets for God's cherished ones. Move in the leading of the Spirit, and seek what He has for you to do, and be prepared, for it will be the adventure of a lifetime!

Abundant and giving Father, gracious and forgiving Jesus, thank You for a glimpse into how lovingly You meet our needs. Though the men left behind the bounty You provided when they became Your disciples, You did not begrudge it of them or stint when supplying it to them. You always measure out to us more than we ask or think, for that is Your heart, God. Help us to give as abundantly and freely to others of the grace and love and mercy we have received from You, without reservation and without condition. Thank You that You credit that to our account and reckon mercy to us as we give mercy, not to those who deserve it, but to those who need it. Help us to see with Your eyes, Father, eyes that are blind to what is deserved, but open and attentive to what is needed.

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