Reading Plan:

Luke 5

Our Thoughts:

“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!” John 5:5.

When I read those words, I feel them deep in my bones. It has been a season of toiling in the Warren household. You know that project around the house that you have been putting off, waiting for the perfect time (that never comes)? Please tell me you have at least one. It would make me feel better to know we aren’t alone in our procrastination. Ours came in the form of a bedroom renovation that we have been ignoring for 5 years. Finally, we accepted the fact that we could no longer just keep all the junk hidden behind a closed door. So, as I write this, we have been neck-deep in peeling wallpaper, painting walls, and installing lights. There has been a lot of “toiling all night.” While I know there will eventually be a tangible product that will be worth the work, there are a lot of nights spent working for what feels like very little payoff.

Simon, the same man Jesus would later call Peter and invite to be His disciple, and his fishing partners had been working all through the night with nothing to show for it. Luke chapter 5 picks up by telling us that the boats were docked and the fishermen were washing their nets. To be washing their nets meant they had reached their quitting point and given up. They finally admitted that their work had been a waste and nothing good was going to come of their efforts that day. It’s in that moment of weary defeat that a young Rabbi named Jesus stepped into their story.

That’s often the scene when Jesus seems to make an appearance. When we are weary, broken-down, beaten up, tired, dejected, at the point of giving up, and we just can’t go any further, that is when God shows up. That might come in the form of an encouraging word from a friend, a reminder of hope from His Word, a still small voice that whispers to the quiet of your heart. God’s Word promises that He is near the broken-hearted and that He gives rest to the weary. For Simon, God showed up in the form of a Rabbi who offered an opportunity and a command.

First comes the opportunity to join Jesus in what He was doing. Luke 5:3 tells us that Jesus hopped into Simon’s boat and “asked” him to go back out into the water. The implication here is that Simon could have said no. He could have rejected the opportunity. After all, he was tired from working all night and likely depressed from not catching anything. He probably just wanted to go home and start over tomorrow, but something about Jesus kept him there and engaged.

Second, comes the command. Simon answered the call and gave his time and resources to be used by Jesus. After Jesus finishes His teaching, He ups the ante in verse 4 by telling Simon to throw His nets back into the water one more time. He had tried this exact thing countless times all throughout the night with a frustrating lack of success. Why would he even want to try again? Because this time Jesus was in the boat.

Please don’t miss this. Had the fisherman not toiled through the night, they wouldn’t have been in a place to experience the miracle moment. Don’t give up. Look for the opportunity that God is inviting you into.

More Questions:

• What opportunity, or invitation, is God putting in front of you?

• What command do you need to obey?

Author: Kyle Warren