Peter was a professional fisherman. He knew how to gauge weather conditions, where to find the best places to fish, and when to end an unproductive night. Because of his expertise, he may have silently questioned the reasonableness of Jesus' instruction. Why let down the nets when an experienced team of fisherman hadn't caught anything all night?
Sometimes God asks His children to act in ways that appear unreasonable. His request might involve leaving a job or ministry that He provided only recently, taking on more responsibility when life already feels overloaded, or accepting an assignment that seems better suited for someone with a different skill set. Perhaps God's plan makes no sense in view of age, financial situation, or health condition. Yet, because of the One who asks, it will be the absolutely right thing to do. We have to decide whether to do what is sensible by human standards or to obey God.
The Bible talks about many people who had to make such a choice. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Issac. Noah was told to build an ark on dry land becasue a flood was coming. Joshua was given a military strategy of marching around Jericho instead of attacking it (Joshua 6:2-5). Gideon, the inexperienced fighter, was told to send most of his warriors home before the battle (Judges 7:2-3). They all obeyed and experienced God's power released on their behalf.
CLOSING: Don't let human logic dictate whether you follow God's plan. Trust in Him as Peter and these other faithful believers did.
InTouch Magazine, January 2008, Vol. 31 No. 1
I can only imagine what must have been going through Peter's mind when Jesus told him to put his nets out in the water again. Sometimes I think we react the same way to God's instructions..."You want me to do what...but..." Often times, as we see in the Bible, God's plans don't make sense, at least they don't make sense to us. We just have to trust God and realize that He has a plan for us. When He calls on us, we should obey Him.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree as many tims in my life I have been lead to do things that I would never have done had I not believed it was God's direction. I must admit there have been times when I did not do what I felt God was leading me to do and have suffered because of it. God always knows what is best. My prayer is that we will be more willing to "just close our eyes and jump" when God calls.
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