God Will Listen

Some Bible stories are easy for me to relate to. When Simon Peter and his friends go fishing for a long period of time and catch nothing, I feel their pain. They most likely expected to catch a lot of fish but came up completely empty. Keep in mind these are professional fishermen who stayed out all night. They are tired, dirty, and probably grumpy from throwing and retrieving empty nets all night long. I imagine their pride was more than a little hurt from a night of failure in their chosen occupation.

While they’re cleaning their empty nets on shore, Jesus is there teaching the word of God to a crowd. Then Jesus gets into Simon Peter’s boat and, after He finishes teaching, tells Peter to return to the deep water and drop their nets. Peter replies, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets†(Luke 5:5). With Jesus in the boat, they start catching so many fish, their nets begin to break! They call to their friends for help, and soon both boats are so overloaded with fish, they begin to sink!

Peter responds to this haul of fish by falling at Jesus’s feet and exclaiming, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!†(Luke 5:8). At first glance, Peter’s response may seem odd. Why would he say that? Peter has just encountered God in the flesh. He is filled with amazement and awe, and at the same time, he is acutely aware of his own sinfulness. Standing before the Messiah, Peter knows He is unworthy.

Jesus doesn’t correct Peter’s statement. But Jesus doesn’t go away from Peter either. Instead, He wants Peter to follow Him and be part of what God is doing. So it is with us. The gospel reveals our sinfulness, but Jesus’s death on the cross pays the price for our sin. And His resurrection from the dead invites us into new life! When Peter sees the Lord before him, he confesses his sin, drops his nets, and follows Jesus. The Lord gives us the same call today: confess your sins, drop anything that’s keeping you away, and follow Him. • Mike Hurley

• Why do you think Jesus revealed Himself to Simon Peter and the others in this particular way?

• Why do you think they were willing to leave everything and follow Jesus?

“Don’t be afraid,†Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people.†Luke 5:10b (CSB)

Read Verses:

1John.5.14-1John.5.15|1Kgs.16.29-1Kgs.16.34|1Kgs.17.1|1Kgs.18|Jas.5.13-Jas.5.18