At Your Word

Today's Bible Reading: LUKE 5:1-39; MARK 1:40-2:22; MATTHEW 8:1-9:17

Luke 5:5

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

Often life leaves us frustrated. Things don’t always go the way that we want or expect. Our plans fail. Our purpose remains unfulfilled. Our tasks are left undone. We thought it would work out but it didn’t. Life frustrates us.

The skilled fisherman had struggled all night and caught nothing. Their hopes were high. Pushing off from shore they planned for a fruitful night. Yet when the morning dawned they found themselves cleaning empty nets, having caught nothing. They were disillusioned, discouraged and disheartened. All their toil was to no avail. They had failed as fishermen.

But hope emerged from the mouth of Jesus. He who created the sea and commanded the fish spoke. He compelled them to launch out again. He encouraged them to go back out; to try again. These were strange words for fishermen from a carpenter. Doubt arose. Uncertainty emerged. Past failures surfaced. The nothing of the night loomed in their mind. Frustrated, they replied, ‘We have fished all night and caught nothing. . . . “. They were thinking, “Why try again?” The night was a loss. The nets are clean. We’re done.

Yet there was something about Jesus that called them. There was something about His words that compelled frustrated fishermen to put their faith in Him. They responded, “at your word I will . . .” The result was a great catch. They caught so many fish they needed fellow fishermen to help with the haul. A moment of failure turned into a moment of fruitfulness. Faith in His word forfeited their frustration.

Like the fishermen, it’s difficult to have faith when we are frustrated. It’s hard to heed what scripture says when we are sitting in the struggle. Broken relationship, job loss, failed plans, harsh words, hateful friends, hurt feelings and dark nights of defeat leave us empty…. just like the fisherman’s nets. Discouraged, disillusioned, and defeated we become depressed. Wanting, but we are without. Hurting, we long for healing. This is life’s pain for which we can’t seem to move past.

Then hope arises like the dawn of a new day. Jesus appears. He brings hope for life’s “empty nets”. He calls us to pick up our net and push out. He challenges us to let our frustration be fueled by faith. He asks us to put our trust in His word. He calls us to believe that He can and will fill what is empty. We must like the fishermen look to the creator of all things to eradicate our empty. We need to like Peter respond by, “but at your word I will. . . “.

Today believe His word. Ask God to speak to your “empty nets” with the encouragement of His word. Let the Spirit help His word speak life into your despair and defeat. Ask Him for a word of hope from His word. Like the fishermen, trust what He says not what you think. Let faith in what He says bring forth fruit from your failure.