A man named Refuge Rabindranath has been a youth worker in Sri Lanka for more than ten years. He often interacts with the youth late into the nightplaying with them, listening to them, counseling and teaching them. He enjoys working with the young people, but it can be disheartening when promising students sometimes walk away from the faith. Some days he feels a bit like Simon Peter in Luke 5.
Simon had been working hard all night but caught no fish (v. 5). He felt discouraged and tired. Yet when Jesus told him to put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch (v. 4), Simon replied, Because you say so, I will let down the nets (v. 5).
Simons obedience is remarkable. As a seasoned fisherman, he knew that fish move to the bottom of the lake when the sun is up, and the dragnets they used could not go deep enough to catch those fish.
His willingness to trust Jesus was rewarded. Not only did Simon catch a large number of fish, he gained a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. He moved from calling Jesus Master (v. 5) to calling Him Lord (v. 8). Indeed, listening often allows us to see the works of God firsthand and draw closer to Him.
Perhaps God is calling you to let down your nets again. May we reply to the Lord as Simon did: Because You say so, I will.
INSIGHT
Can you relate to Peter when his first impulse was to question Jesuss knowledge of fishing? (Luke 5:5). Peter may have wondered, Jesus is a remarkable rabbi, but can He show someone who knows the waters of Galilee how to fish them? What followed became a reason for Peter and friends to follow Jesus. By obeying the Teachers words, a bad night of fishing turned into one of the biggest catches of their lives.
Can you recall a time when trusting God with the impossible resulted in something amazing?