AT YOUR WORD

• DAY 224
• FEARFUL FILE: PETER
• SCRIPTURES: JOHN 4:43-54; LUKE 5:1-11

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

Luke 5:4-6

No one wants to toil without results. Yet, here we have Peter, who after toiling, had nothing to show for his hard work. Does that sound like you? Have you put in so much effort but there is no corresponding result? And like Peter, you are washing your net, picking up the pieces of your life and shattered dreams, and trying to move on.

Peter was just about to move on when Jesus showed up. Isn’t it amazing how God waits till you have exerted your strength and your wisdom before He shows up with a solution? How many of us wish He had shown up earlier? But that’s not His style. He doesn’t want you to mistake a miracle for hard work? At the quitting moment when everyone was washing their net, here comes Jesus asking him to try again.

Permit me to paraphrase what Peter said, “Jesus, I have done what I know how to do. You are asking me to go do the same things I have done before. There is no fish here, Jesus. There is no point, I was packing up when you came.” A couple of us are in this phase: you’ve tried to save that business over and over again; you’ve tried to get a job, you’ve tried to come out of debt, everything that should be done to succeed or get a spouse, you’ve done it to no avail and now God is telling you, to try again. And you’re responding like Peter.

Try Again

However, Peter didn’t end it there. He started by saying, I’ve done everything I can then he added, “Nevertheless, at Your word” Jesus, I did everything already, but if you say I should do it again, I will do it again, at your word.

God’s word has the capacity to bring out results where there was none before. When He comes into a situation and says, “Try it again” do so. Maybe the timing was off the time you tried or the motive was wrong, or the location was wrong, or maybe you never got a word from Him. Perhaps, your focus was more on you than what God wanted you to do. Now God has your attention enough to tell you, to go deep, to launch a little deeper, don’t hesitate, do it!

Beloved, you cannot be afraid to try again at God’s word. If God says do it again, do it again. Don’t allow past experiences of all the effort that you have put into that particular thing that failed to stop you from trying again. Truth is, trying again is more rewarding than not trying at all. And there is nowhere, there is no time, no possibility, and there is no way that God’s word can fail. So if He speaks a word, believe it for what it is and try some more.

So what is God asking you to try again and you’re hesitating because history has it that you’ve failed at it before? What is God asking you to take a look at again but you’re not so eager to do so because your track record shows that you did not succeed the last time you tried? Now is another season to try again. Launch into the deep and risk it and trust that Jesus will bring the fish.

Shalom.