Do I trust his word?

Luke 5: 1-11

Fishing demands a great deal of patience. A fisherman (woman), check the weather, the temperature of the water, the time of day, the direction of the sun, the quality of the bait. Then you wait, and wait, and wait. Moving from one location to another. Whether it be on a lake, river, or out on the Ocean, there is no guarantee that you will catch anything.

However, in the Gospel of Luke we hear about some very successful fishing. What were their techniques? Their secret to finding just the right spot? In ancient times, fishing was done with a large net. The net would be flung over the side of the boat when fish were spotted or a spotter on the shore recommended a direction where fish may be swimming by. Out would go the nets over the water and the fishermen would drag the net into the boat. They may well pick up more than fish or a variety and sort through them.

But, in this case, with the orders of Jesus, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch . . .” Not bad advice and not particularly unusual as fishing methods went. However, the results were astounding. Though Simon, a skilled and experienced fisherman was tired and not especially optimistic, “. . . we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing . . .” they did so at the word of Jesus. And, voila! More fish than they had caught all year were dragged into the boats: “. . . and their nets were tearing.”

We could stop there and look upon this as a quaint fishing story. Did Jesus just get lucky? Did Simon and his partners miss something? No, they were invited to something.

Jesus, once the fish were hauled ashore, invited Simon (Peter), James and John to, “Be not afraid – from now on you will be catching men.” Afraid of what? Jesus’ display of power? Be not afraid to enter into discipleship with the Lord Jesus. Acting as a team, with Jesus as the guide, we can accomplish much.

Where is God asking you to “fish?” What is your bait? Is fear causing resistance or am I just not courageous enough to leave the familiar and put out in to deep water? I find myself resistant and feel insecure anytime I do the new and sometimes even the familiar. Jesus calls us to trust in his word.