And when he had finished 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." (Luke 5:4-5)
At Your word, O Master, I will cast the nets again. Though it violates everything in my fleshly senses, I know You Lord of a dimension I cannot see. With eyes of faith, I trust in You and Your command. I will go out there, back onto the lake, and cast the nets one more time.
Peter said it, he submitted himself to the will of Jesus. Jesus had used Peter's boat as a pulpit, and when He finished His teaching, He asked Peter to go out and cast the nets. "For a catch," Jesus said, indicating this fishing session would not leave them with empty nets.
But Peter had been out there all night. He, a fisherman, had chosen the right time of day to fish those waters, yet even in the right conditions, there was no catch. They took nothing. And now Jesus -- not a fisherman, mind you -- came along offering fishing advice. At the wrong time of day, in the wrong conditions, Jesus wanted them to try again.
Peter could've argued. Instead, he told Jesus about the fruitlessness of the previous night. He'd been fatigued for nothing. Now, though, Peter would go out again. The reason? Because Jesus said so.
After Peter's obedience came a flood of fish. He had surrendered to the will of Christ, and it had paid off. When they returned to shore, all Peter could do was worship, surrendering further to Jesus.
It is beautiful when Jesus' people hear His directions and submit to Him. He will sometimes ask us -- often in His word, sometimes by His Spirit, and usually by both -- to do things which violate our intellect. I've tried that already, Lord, we might say. But we shouldn't. If He is Lord, and if He is the holy, good, all-powerful, loving, sovereign God, we ought to submit. Even if it makes no sense to us, it makes perfect sense to our Lord. He can make the fish jump into our nets.
Later in life, in a vision that called Peter to go fishing again for souls, Peter replied, "Not so, Lord." Three times, he resisted. But God was gracious with His man and told Peter directly how he must go to Cornelius' house to preach. Peter did, and the gospel message was opened up to the nations. The second boat had to come, the haul was, and is, so great.
Let's obey our Lord, even when we can't understand what He's up to. His character is all the motivation we need.
