Do We Trust Jesus?

Do We Trust Jesus?

Luke 5:4-5 “And when he had ceased 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.”

I like this verse because it reminds me that I am not the only one who argues with the Lord. I am not the only one with a reply other than “Yes” when Jesus asks me to do something.  Simon had been out fishing all night and had not caught any fish. He was tired and, I am sure, very discouraged. Then Jesus asked him to push his boat back into the sea a bit so that Jesus could stand on it and talk to all those on the shore. Simon did so.

Then, after Jesus had finished teaching those on the shore, He told Simon to go out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Can you imagine how frustrated Simon felt and how tired he probably was? He was washing his nets out to call it a day when Jesus climbed on His boat, and who knows how long Jesus preached before telling Simon to go out into the deep. Then He tells Simon to put his net out into the water again. Jesus is a carpenter, and Simon is a fisherman. I am sure He didn’t understand why He should do what this man said, and yet He did it anyway and yielded more fish than their nets could hold, and the nets began to break. There were so many fish that they filled both boats so full that the boats began to sink.

Have you ever been in a situation like this before? Have you ever felt like God or Jesus was asking you to do something you really didn’t want to? There could be many reasons why we don’t want to do what He asks us to do. Simon was tired and frustrated. He might have also felt that his efforts were in vain. But despite all these, he obeyed. This story reminds us that even when we are tired, frustrated, or feel like our efforts are in vain, we should still obey God's word, for He has a plan that we might not understand.

In this verse, the Lord knew that if Peter obeyed him, he would catch more fish than He could have imagined. God knows the same thing about you and me. He knows that if we obey Him, he will provide more than we need, whether in our jobs, families, or friends. Where is God calling you?  What has He been asking you to do, and yet you have been ignoring Him because you have tried it before many times, and so you figure it won’t work this time either? What areas of your life are you desperate to see change?

In this verse, Peter is desperate to catch some fish and has tried all night with no luck. When he listened to the Lord and then saw how many fish they caught, he finally recognized Jesus for who he really was. Peter recognized Jesus as Lord. It says in verse 8, “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Has Jesus ever helped you come face to face with your sinfulness? Has He ever answered one of your prayers in a way that there was no question it was God who answered that prayer?

I have had this happen many times. I am grateful to my parents because they told us about times in their lives when this happened to them, and so I began to be aware of when it was happening in my life, too. We miss so much when we are not looking for it. When you intentionally try to see God working in your life, you will see God working in your life. Notice I didn’t say you might see God. I am 100% confident that you will see it if you intentionally look for where God is working in your life. This is the main reason why I do Witness Wednesdays on this podcast. If you hear how God works in other people’s lives, you will become more aware of how He works in your life, too!

I can see how God worked his miracles in my son Noah’s surgery and recovery. Actually, how we even discovered he needed surgery. Noah was having headaches, and they were treating them with medicine, and that wasn’t really working. The neurologist ordered an MRI to ensure it wasn’t too serious. If she hadn’t ordered the MRI, she would have never found out that he had a Chiari malformation. You can only see them on an MRI. Then we were supposed to have surgery at a hospital that was an hour and 40 minutes away from our house. The surgeon could not get Noah on his surgical calendar until July. Noah wants to go to college in Europe at the end of the summer.

We asked if they could put in a referral for Mass General Hospital, as it is less than an hour's drive. They put in the referral, and after we got the records transferred, they set up a pairing with a surgeon who does both pediatric and adult surgeries. They were able to get him scheduled within a few weeks. Also, they scheduled him for after spring break, so I was able to take Noah to England to look at some colleges. It was amazing timing that only God could have arranged.

Then, on the day of the surgery, Noah had an awesome nurse who happened to be his birthday twin. She was so kind and distracted him from thinking about the surgery. The surgeon said it was an excellent surgery, and he thinks Noah will be very pleased with it. Noah was in the hospital for four days and was not really in much pain at all. He could walk the halls, get up and use the restroom, talk to the nurses. He thought he would be in bed for the first week or two when he came home. But he has felt great. He has had to sleep more than he wanted also, yet he was happy he was able to sit up in his computer chair for long periods of time without pain. He said he felt much better than he thought he would and that he is glad they did the surgery as he can feel that there is more room in the back of his head now.

Praise God—He is so good. He not only helped arrange the surgery, the timing, and the doctor, but He also ensured a successful surgery and a painless and speedy recovery—just what we prayed for! I don’t know what you are praying for or what you are waiting for. Whatever it is, I want you to know that God knows what it is, and He is working on it for you. He is figuring out how to get that for you in His perfect timing and also in accordance with your plans as well.

God knew that Peter needed fish that day. He knew he was discouraged, tired, and probably angry. God cared about Peter’s needs and Peter’s wants. This miracle happened for two reasons. First, God cared about Peter and his needs and wants. Second, Peter let down the nets. Peter said yes. He didn’t understand why he was doing it. He didn’t know what Jesus knew. He did it because Jesus asked Him to, and because of that obedience, Jesus made it fruitful.

What is Jesus calling you to do? Has He given you the answer to your problem, and yet you are afraid to let down your net? What if the answer to your prayers is on the other side of your obedience to do what Jesus is telling you to do? What if the thing getting in the way of you catching all the fish is your reluctance to obey Jesus? What if you took that step today and did what He has asked you to do? What could you catch in your net?

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord, please show us what things you are calling us to do and then give us the grace to accomplish them. Help give us the courage to take that step of faith, trusting that you will fill our nets. We love you, Lord, and we are sorry for not doing as you ask. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. Week 2 of our “Come as You Are” mentoring series is tomorrow. Last week, we looked at several scriptures showing that Jesus does not want perfection before He wants us to come to Him. He wants us to come to him just as we are. If you join mentoring today or tomorrow, you can join us for Week 2 of this series, and you will also get a link to watch previous mentoring sessions as well. I hope you will join us today! We had a great discussion after the mentoring session last week. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in June 2023 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, when you are full of worry and fear, come to me. Give me your hand in trust, and I will help you. All your cares that you give to me I take care of in my time, not your time.”

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