One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11 NIV)
Notice in this story how Simon Peter told Jesus that they had worked all night long fishing and had caught nothing, but when Jesus asked him to put out his nets one more time they were so full that he needed help from another boat and even then there were so many fish that both boats almost sank! So what happened? Was the moon just now right for fishing or was the wind out of the west now? No! Peter was a professional fisherman and had probably been fishing since he was a young boy. He knew how to catch fish if there were any to be caught......but still he had come up empty handed after an all night fishing expedition.
To understand what happened here you have to look at the beginning of this story in verses 1-3. Jesus was drawing a large crowd so He hopped into Simons boat and asked him to go out a little way onto the lake so he could use the water like an amplifier to speak to all the people. Interestingly, Simon did as Jesus asked without question, even though he was not yet one of Jesus' disciples. It was only after Simon gave his boat to Jesus to use that he received his record and net breaking catch!
Are you hoping for a record breaking catch, but unwilling to let Jesus have your boat? Are you praying for God to bless you, but you are unwilling to trust him with everything you have including your finances? God wants to bless you, but can He trust you? Would you give him anything He asked for? Would you give Him your boat?
God has asked for my boat several times in my life and I have learned to say yes without hesitation......well at least with very little hesitation :-). Just recently He asked my family to give away all the money we had in savings, and also give away my truck. I'm not telling you this to brag on my family, but rather to show you that I'm not just all talk. I can put my money where my mouth is as the saying goes. This was the first time God has asked us to give all of our savings. We have given away a vehicle before, but never all of our "financial security".
So am I worried about how I will save that money back or how we buy another vehicle? No, not at all! I know that whatever I give to The Lord is blessed and will multiply beyond what I could imagine! I know our "nets" will be overflowing! That first time we gave away my truck the Lord gave me a truck that was nicer than the one we gave away! It really was a miraculous provision from God! Now I'm not saying that you should go give away all your possessions so God will give you newer nicer "stuff". Receiving is not a bad thing, but it is not the point I want you to see here. It's not about "stuff", its about trusting the Lord and believing that he knows what your needs are.
Is He asking you to take a step of faith? Is He asking for your boat, your car, your savings, your house??? Be careful my friends to not put your faith in the things of this world as they will all fail to satisfy your soul. Trust in Jesus. He loves you. He knows what you need. He will provide for you. Let Him have your boat.........It truly is more blessed to give than receive!
Jason Farris
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