Luke 5:5-6 NKJV
[5] But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” [6] And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
Peter was just a regular fisherman who lived life the way you would expect a regular fisherman to live. Nothing exciting, maybe his dream was to just have enough to feed his family and make it through life.
But then he met Jesus and his life was turned around forever. Meeting Jesus is one thing, but trusting him and walking in obedience to his word is what brings about transformation.
Peter, a seasoned fisherman, and his friends had been fishing the whole night, and they came back empty. What a discouragement. I can’t imagine what was going on in Peter’s mind as he was washing his nets. What would he tell his wife and family after being out the entire night and coming back empty-handed?
Jesus asks for Peter’s boat so that he can preach to the crowds, and Peter agrees. After the sermon, Jesus tells Peter to launch out and cast his nets again for a catch.
Being a seasoned fisherman, Peter understands that this is not how things work. Fishing was done at night and not during the day, and they had been at it the entire night and caught nothing. I can imagine they had probably just finished washing their nets. Going back meant they would need to wash their nets again after coming out empty. Why bother.
Peter decides to put his trust and faith in Jesus, a carpenter giving him advice about fishing.
Thee results were unbelievable. They catch such a massive haul of fish, their boats begin to sink. Peter has to call in for help from his friends and not both boats are almost sinking.
Jesus is the word of God, and the word of God works each time we activate it in obedience by faith. This is the greatest lesson we learn from Peter and this experience.
Interestingly, after experiencing the biggest catch of his career, Peter walks away from it all. What are you willing to walk away from to follow Jesus?
Reflections
What frustration have you experienced lately, and how did you deal with it?
Peter gave out his boat for Jesus to use, what can you give to make preaching the Gospel easier for the preacher?
In what area are you struggling to trust God because his instructions seem ridiculous and challenging to believe? What the way forward for you?
