Thought for Thursday
Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5:4
None of us has ever fished in the sea called Galilee, or Gennesaret. But those who used to conduct a commercial fishery there in the time of the Lord Jesus were able to make a living at it. Over the centuries, they learned that the best time to catch fish with their nets was at night as the fish were feeding. And the best places to catch the fish were in the shallows along the shoreline. To a professional fisherman like Simon Peter, the direction from the Preacher made little sense. He and Andrew were cleaning the debris from a fruitless night’s fishing from their nets. They knew there were no fish in the vicinity. They also knew that fish were nowhere near the range where their nets would reach at that time of day. Following the Preacher’s direction could not possibly result in anything worthwhile. Or could it? If this was the Messiah, as He claimed, this could be the test that would prove it. Following a command that made no sense in human terms was a great test for the soon-to-be disciple. We also face such tests.
When the Lord Jesus gave His instructions to Simon Peter, He was going contrary to what most people on and around that sea considered normal. But He was giving instructions, and He was the Son of God. So His instructions were not only to be followed but also to be followed with expectancy. We will find that Peter was rather timid in his response, but he need not have been. A command from Jesus Christ is a command from our Lord, and we should never be hesitant or half-hearted in our response. The longer we are on our Christian pathway, the more we learn that our Lord will never direct or lead us along a path that is not for our very best good. His love for us will not allow Him to do us harm. In fact, His love for us will always lead to our benefit, although it might not seem so at the first. So when our Lord gives us instructions, we are wise to follow them.
Peter usually fished along the shoreline. In most cases, he could see the bottom, and in many places, he could reach the bottom with his feet while his head was above the surface. He was comfortable there, because he knew he could handle whatever happened at those easy depths. Now he was being instructed to go into the depths. He was not as familiar with that part of the sea. He was aware of the greater perils of going out into the deep, where an accident or a storm could threaten both his vessel and his life. He would not know how deep to allow the net to drift. He was moving beyond his comfort zone and beyond his normal capabilities and experience. It would take some courage and some faith for him to follow the order Jesus gave. But that was the only way to blessing.
Are we experiencing blessing in our spiritual life? Maybe we are failing to move past our comfort zone to follow our Lord’s leading. – Jim MacIntosh