Now when He was through speaking, He said unto Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.” And Simon answering said unto Him, “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net began to break. (Luke 5:4-6, KJ21)
Our ears hear the words. They come into our mind as bits of a sentence somewhat structured as a recognized thought or idea. If the thought or idea has meaning and significance, we might contemplate it longer. As we contemplate the thought or idea, it might resonate with other beliefs to form support for the more important values that we hold dear. At this point we might make extra efforts to retain the thought or idea. We may memorize the thought or idea. We may make a notation in a journal and we may share the idea or thought with others as an important insight we have learned about life.
Generally statements and words about faith are often like that. We hear the thought and as it rolls around in our mind, we begin to contemplate its significance. When we finally realize and see the significance and meaning in the thought or idea, we will make every effort to retain the words.
Yet there is a more powerful aspect to faith. For our faith to be alive, faith must also come against the things we see and hear and it may illogical and irrational. Faith is not just seeing and hearing things significant to our faith but seeing and hearing things far beyond what we can see, hear and feel. Faith shouts in the face of what we see and feel and demands trust and obedience to do what makes no sense to our minds. Faith shouts above our reality for us to take specific actions and often we shout back our responses in the form of reasons, arguments and whys and wherefores for not following in faith. New life will always be in the listening to the call of faith and not in the resistance, rejection or shrinking back from the action that faith demands.
Everything in the mind of Peter resisted the request of Jesus, as nonsense. Every muscle in Peter’s tired body rebelled at any effort to repeat any attempts at fishing again after such a useless night of trying for a catch. Jesus was demanding faith from Peter, from which would come a reward beyond all reasonable expectations. Faith in Jesus was like that for Peter and faith in Jesus is like that for us. Jesus was Peter’s Savior and Jesus is your Savior. Listen to your Savior and trust him in obedience. Go out to the deeper waters, requiring deeper faith. Cast out your nets again in the sea of life and see the amazing catch … Jesus has in store for you.
