Read Luke 5:1-11

Are you feeling defeated this morning?

I’m sorry if you are. Those who are in a season of calm, maybe take a moment to pray for your fellow devotional readers that are struggling with the burden of continual defeats. We’ve all been there. We know how deep that pit can feel.

Today we read about fishermen. How tough of a job that was and continues to be. The process is so out of their control. Faith, prayer and past experience are their sole retaliations against nature. I have had seasons where I felt like Simon-Peter did in this passage. When, time and time again I have not received the outcome I hoped for. I am downtrodden and sincerely asking:

“God, where are you? Where are all the fish? DAD! …it’s going to take a miracle”.

What’s interesting about today’s Scripture is that there are 2 miracles taking place in the same moment. The first is obvious. The fish that were not there seconds ago are now breaking the nets. But the second takes a more in-depth look. It is the miracle of Simon-Peter’s choice right before the miracle. Even in pure unbelief and defeat, he lowered those nets again. That action must have been so hard to do! His Lord said to do it again, so he did. Yes, it was begrudgingly (right after the miracle Peter exclaims with guilt “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”) Some might sight this as a flaw of faith but I see it as such a supernatural accomplishment. He chose to trust beyond all he had ever been taught as a professional fisherman. In all his years he knew to lower those nets was a foolish waste of time and energy. Peter was exhausted and didn’t have the strength to believe, but he still had the strength to listen and act upon His Father’s direction:

one…more…time.

That is an awesome, miraculous moment.

I often wonder how many times God’s blessing is waiting for us but we aren’t able to make it past that last hurdle of “leaning on our own understanding”.

Your hands may be weary today. Your mind is exhausted with doubt and lack of faith. It’s OK to not understand, to even be angry at your situation. But Christ is whispering to you right now to trust Him. And my prayer (and all those who prayed in the beginning of this devotional) for you is that, you can wipe the sweat from your brow, clasp your calloused hands in prayer one more time and reply, “on the ground of your word…I will lower my nets again.”

Nate Torrence