“But Because You Say So” (Luke 5:3-5)
As a professional fisherman, Peter knew how to fish, when to fish and when not to fish. But there was a night when he had caught nothing even after trying the whole night. As the morning came, people began to come to the shores of Galilee. To make matter worse, Jesus also had come along and many people were crowding to listen to his words. The worst came when Jesus chose Peter’s boat to sit and speak to the people from afloat the water so that they would not press him down to get a glimpse of him. Here was Peter and his friends, tried all night and without any fish in their boat, listening patiently to the man called Jesus of Nazareth.
As Jesus took longer than they expected, there may have come a feeling in Peter to tell Jesus to stop and go away from his boat because by nature Peter was an impatient man who could not wait for the things to happen, he was a kind of man who made things happen. But this morning, he was tired, he was disappointed of not catching any fish and now all hopes for the day were gone due to the crowd and there was no chance of any fish remaining near the shore there with that kind of noise.
Just as Peter was getting agitated and about to tell Jesus to go out of his boat, Jesus stops preaching and looks to Peter, seeing the frustration in his face asks him to put out the net into deep water for the catch. This would have really surprised Peter, not because of the catch but because of the absurdity of the command. May be there was a sarcastic smile in his face when he said “we have tried it all night”. But something in Peter made him to obey…he had been listening to Jesus just before the command came. Jesus was teaching to people and something in his teaching must have made him to think differently. That is why, when Jesus asked him to put out the net, he said “But because you say, I will put out”. Well, as he put out the net because of the words of Jesus, we know the result.
Just like Peter, many times we are also in that kind of situation. There may come a time when all our hopes are gone, when whatever we try does not work; we too become so cynical of anyone who tries to help us out. We say, what is the use of prayer, what is the use of trusting God, what is the use of going to church? What is the use of trying anymore?
Well, just like Peter, if we can listen to God’s word, if we can say like Peter, “because you say so…I will…(you can fill in the blank). Whatever situation you are facing, find out what God’s word says about it and then put that word into practice by saying “God, because you say so, I will obey, I will do”. If you can put your trust in God’s word, God will surely make your path straight. In proverbs 3:5-6 God’s word says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight”.
The situation might not be turning around in a moment, but just like Peter, if you can be patient and listen to Jesus and then when he speaks to you, you obey what he says; things will change for the better. God will surely bring salvation to your way, he will bring deliverance to your way and he will bring victory over the circumstances of your life. Life is victorious when we live in obedience to God’s word!
I pray for God’s victory to come your way!
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