“And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.”
Luke 5:5 [KJV]
I was recently working on the first draft of a novel manuscript. Writing the opening was exciting. The ideas flowed faster than my fingers could type. Hours would pass with me hardly noticing, and even when I wasn’t writing, I was constantly thinking about my characters and praying about the work.
But then I hit what some authors call the ‘marathon of the middle’. I discovered some big plot holes in the story, my main characters refused to work together, and even more tragically, I found that policemen did not wear blue uniforms in the 1800s. Was the manuscript worth continuing? Would it ever be good enough to be published, and who would publish it anyway? I no longer felt like writing.
That’s the fickleness of emotions. There are days when you are excited about living and serving where God has placed you. Then there are those mornings – especially as here in South Australia we head towards winter – when all you want to do is wrap the blanket around yourself and stay in bed. The voices of doubts grow louder. If God wanted us to share the gospel, why is no one interested? If God had called me to write, wouldn’t I feel inspired every time I sit down at my desk? If God wanted you to be a keeper of the home, why is housework so mundane? If God, rather than chance, chose this workplace for me, why was I overlooked for that opportunity?
Perhaps God wouldn’t mind if you found something more exciting to do, with a higher rate of financial or emotional satisfaction. Why bother with something that you don’t feel enthusiastic about? Why keep doing something you think won’t work? After all, if God wanted you to do something, surely, He would give you the ‘right’ feelings to confirm it was His will?
Let’s consider the Apostle Peter’s response to this type of situation. In Luke 5, the chapter records Jesus used Peter’s fishing boat as a platform to address the crowds on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After finishing speaking, Jesus tells Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:4b-5). Probably most of us know what happens next; they catch such a great school of fish that the nets break and the boats are filled, and Simon Peter worships Jesus, acknowledging that He is Lord. The story illustrates Jesus’ power and deity, but today I want to focus on Peter’s initial response to Jesus’ command.
Peter said, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing”. Was this an expression of humility, or did it indicate sinful unbelief? Regardless, the sentence is a statement of fact. Peter, his brother Andrew and the sons of Zebedee (James and John, see Mark 10:35), were experienced, hardworking fishermen. From a human perspective, the conditions weren’t right, the fish were elusive, and they were tired after being out all night. I can imagine Peter comparing the effort of all their labours against the probability of catching fish in deep water in the middle of the day. Would it really be worth trying? It’s a question we often ask ourselves too. Some people draw up their excel spreadsheets and create ‘for’ versus ‘against’ lists. Other people don’t even realise they’re conducting a cost-benefit analysis. Yes, God might have told us to do it, but from a logical, humanistic perspective, maybe it’s not worth the time, inconvenience, potential rejection, or risk of failing. In short, we don’t feel like doing it. What do we do when we know we should obey but the feelings and motivation aren’t there?
We should obey anyway. Just like Peter, who said, “Nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.” There will be wonderful times when living for God seems so exciting. Then there will be those times when your life seems repetitive and you feel unmotivated. Mothers won’t always feel like being motherly, Christians don’t always feel like loving one another, writers won’t always want to write, and employees definitely don’t always want to work. But a Christian should be motivated by the knowledge we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). We love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19), and are saved to serve, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). If we only did things with obvious, immediate benefits to ourselves, we would never know the growth and blessing of a life where we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus said, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29b), and Hebrews 11:13 honours those who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
Relying on our feelings, strength and logic is a guaranteed way to miss out on the wonder of seeing God use us to accomplish His work on earth. Jesus, the Creator (Colossians 1:16), could have directed the fish to jump into the boat or beach themselves on the shore. Instead, he chose to use Peter’s boat, nets, knowledge and colleagues. In God’s kingdom, there is a place of belonging and service for all Christians. In the Gospels and Acts alone, we meet university academic Paul, Joseph the tradie, Lydia the businesswoman, a government employee called Matthew, a high-ranking Ethiopian, a poor widow with two small coins, and a homemaker called Martha. God can and does use any heart that is humbly committed to serving Him, and it will bring Him glory (Exodus 7:5). This is the God who told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). Christ’s presence and power was the difference between failure (no fish) and success (fish). This is true for soul winning (Luke 5:10), managing a household (Psalm 127:1a), being faithful in the workplace (Colossians 3:22-24,4:1); and in interactions with others, where we are instructed to “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Sometimes the rewards of obedience are obvious straightway, just as they were to Peter: “And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes” (Luke 5:6a). Other times the outcomes are revealed later, perhaps after much faithful labour, with Galatians 6:9 saying, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Other times the fruit of your obedience throughout trials is only apparent to God, and “great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12).
Remember, God is at work. Peter couldn’t see beneath the waves. He couldn’t see how Christ was gathering that school of fish in the right place and right time. Similarly, we often struggle to see past the repetition, difficulties and seeming ordinary aspects of our lives. We doubt-prone humans won’t always feel like doing what God wants. But, by faith, we can obey, saying, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). May our prayer be: “Lord, we have toiled all night… all month… all year… and have taken nothing. You know how frail and easily discouraged we are. Nevertheless, at Thy word, we will obey.”
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