We read about an amazing experience in Luke 5. Jesus was teaching to a large crowd of people standing on the shore of the lake called Gennesaret. Jesus Himself was seated in a fishing boat, anchored just off the shoreline. After He had finished teaching, we read – “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.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:4-7)
Fish generally swim to deeper water during the day, and it’s a lot easier (especially when using a large net) to catch fish in the evening hours, when they are closer to the surface. Here Simon and his fishing partners had fished ALL NIGHT, and they had caught not one fish. And it was most likely afternoon by now, and Jesus says “let down your nets!” I’m sure Simon probably thought, “This is a waste of time, but if you say so…” Imagine the surprise when, what he thought made no sense, brought about the largest catch of fish he and his partners had ever experienced! He saw at once the amazing power of God, and how that our God is NOT dependent upon anything at all, but rather even the fish obey His commands!
Simon, who’s name was later changed to Peter, was just beginning to see the awesome power of our Lord Jesus Christ. He would later see that even the wind and the waves obey Him. He would see money to pay taxes appear in a fish’s mouth, and He would see multitudes fed, healed, and delivered from the power of Satan. And it all started when he said, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
We must learn to follow Peter’s example, and do whatever our Lord commands us to do, even when it doesn’t make sense to us! That’s why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” With God in control, there are no limitations to His ability and power. Many times, the only limitation is our lack of faith, so learn to trust Him and obey Him, even when it doesn’t make sense to our human nature!