“And when He (Jesus) had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.”-Luke 5:4-5
Hard labor
Do you ever feel like you’re digging a perpetual hole? Toiling, sweating, giving everything and never being satisfied? Maybe it’s with your work. Maybe it’s in a relationship. Maybe it’s in your finances. Or maybe it’s a God-dream that you’re trying to make happen because He promised it to you?
“We toiled all night and took nothing…”
I can imagine you know exactly how that feels. To work so hard (sometimes even through the night) only to see you wasted time and didn’t get anywhere. It’s aggravating, isn’t? I like to imagine how Simon felt (or at least how I would have felt if I were him) in the moment when Jesus told him to go back out and fish. Maybe he was thinking, “Alright holy-rabbi-teacher-carpenter-dude who probably knows nothing about fishing. We’ll give it another try—but you’ll see!”
A glimpse of His glory
Yet in that moment, Simon Peter was granted the humbling experience of seeing God follow through in His seemingly illogical yet good instructions. He not only heard, but experienced that Jesus’ words are always true.
Luke continues,
“And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking…But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees…” (v. 6, 8)
Jesus didn’t have to bless Simon Peter to the point of breaking—but He did. Jesus desired his
Seasons in life
There’s something terrifying and beautiful about “go” seasons; times in life when Jesus moves things quickly and things start to fall into place. I’m currently in a season of waiting for God to say “GO.” I know this because I’ve felt resistance when I’ve tried to make moves on my own. And I’ll admit, this is very different and difficult for me. I’ve always been someone who pushed open doors and just let God close the ones He didn’t want open. But now He’s saying, “Hanna, be patient, I’m going to open up this door Myself this time.”
His timing
Sometimes in life, there is resistance from the devil but you push forward because you’ve heard God’s instruction to do so. But other times, we try to go our own way and feel resistance because God hadn’t yet said to do so—and we toil for nothing. Anything done outside of the purpose of God’s Kingdom and eternity is pointles because anything outside of God’s Kingdom and eternity will fade away. He gives important tasks to be done in His timing and instruction.
A humbling experience
After that humbling experience, Simon Peter saw that Jesus was one to be trusted. So he dropped everything immediately and followed Christ. They didn’t take the fish with them. They didn’t try and say, “Lord, let us sell these fish you’ve blessed us with so we can use that money on our travels with you.” No. The Lord said go, so they immediately let go of everything and pursued Jesus. And that last part? That’s the key. Whether you’re in a season of movement and excitement or you’re in one full of waiting, rooting and asking questions; you still pursue Jesus. You drop everything—the blessing, the doubt, the excitement, the frustration—and pursue Jesus. Because we can find discontentment in any and every season of life if we aren’t passionately loving Him.
See the blessings in all seasons
Seasons of full nets or empty nets shouldn’t determine our mood and choices either—only Jesus should. I know I’m convicted of not letting Christ’s love dictate my emotions, choices, dreams and life-purpose. But when we surrender, worship, obey and love, He blesses us to the point of breaking. With His love in our hearts and His perspective in our minds, we can see that blessing in all seasons.
So let’s focus our eyes on Jesus—and see the blessing in every season given to us. Let’s wait, pray, love each other and chase the dreams God’s placed in our hearts. And let’s encourage other women to do the same.
Read also Seasons of life
