Letting Down the Nets—One More Time

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break. —Luke 5:3-6

This narrative is a reminder for times when we grow weary—when our nets keep coming up empty, when we’re tired of trying, when we’re more than a little weary of offering another prayer that seems to go nowhere, and we’re catching nothing.

But God is asking us to trust anyway, and to let down the nets one more time. Yes, let them down once more where we’ve done it time and again and we’ve come up empty.

Why?

• Because He is in the boat with us. He knows that we are growing weary. We are not alone. He is our strength.
• Because He is sovereign. He brings us to the fish and the fish to us. He sees what we don’t see.
• Because He is the Master. Even though we've done it before, He tells us to put out into deep water. It makes a difference when He is master of our nets.

He knows that we’ve worked hard and haven’t caught anything—yet. So we continue in the Word and listen to Him. We obey. We continue in prayer, and if need be, we confess that maybe we've been master of our own nets.

But do rest in Him, and do be encouraged that He is in the boat and that He is sovereign. When He is ready, our nets will be full. So trust and wait, and let down the nets…one more time.

• And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. -Gal. 6:9
• Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. -Ps. 37:5

The painting is Land's End by Edward Holmes

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