I don’t reblog many posts but this wonderful illustration and story from Pastor Lawrence so touched my heart that I felt compelled to share on Praise2worship. I have so often tried unsuccessfully to maintain control of my circumstances all the while God is calling for surrender. Jesus said that if we want to find our life we must first be willing to lose it for Him.
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5
We all sometimes come face to face with failure no matter how hard we try. When kids were picking teams to play baseball in my neighborhood I was always the last to get picked and usually was made pitcher because I couldn’t hit, run or catch.
Maybe you are struggling in your marriage is struggling or you are just weeks away from bankruptcy. Like Peter whatever you are facing, remember that Jesus didn’t come to choose the best fishermen, fathers, mothers or business men and women. Jesus came to pick people who have worked all night with nothing to show for their efforts. in fact Jesus is not asking for us to just try harder. He calls us to simply believe and obey His word! When Peter did what Jesus asked his once empty nets became so full that he needed his friends’ help to pull them in. But Jesus doesn’t stop with simply filling our nets with fish. He has an astonishing adventure in mind far beyond just immediate blessings. If we follow Jesus we will be amazed at where that journey leads; but everything hinges on being willing to let down those nets at His word!
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him Luke 5:11
The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. John 21: 8-9 NIV
I could have made the title a bit longer and added, Jesus knows how to fish and I don’t. Funny thing because my son who I taught to fish can cast farther and catch more but the disciples’ night fishing was about like mine would have been: a still one big fat zero! Can’t you almost picture them throwing out their nets and pulling them in all night wondering why they are empty? Yet at the same time, Jesus was catching fish! By the time the disciples got back to shore with nothing, Jesus had already started a fire and started cooking the fish He had caught.
But the good news for us as well as Peter James and John is that Jesus is still waiting for us. He is waiting for us to give up and bring our boat back to shore. He is waiting for us to be ready to listen to Him. He is waiting for us to recognize His voice. Fishing without praying is just feeding the fish. Fishing longer won’t help. Often just giving up is the first step back to Jesus. He is standing on the shore. He has been working all through our night and He’ll have everything ready when we arrive!
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