Read Luke 5:1-11
“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’”—Luke 5:4-5
Jesus asked Simon (Peter) to push his boat a short way from the shore as a platform from which He could speak to a crowd. Afterward, Jesus told Peter to launch out into deep water to catch fish. Peter noted their lack of success fishing the night before but obeyed. The new fishing expedition yielded more fish than their nets could hold and from that experience Peter, who launched out into the deep a fisherman, returned a fisher of men and a disciple.
Instead of calling Peter into discipleship at the shore, Jesus took him to the very place where he tried to fish and came back empty-handed—the deep.
At times Jesus compels us to go out into the deep. More than a place where fish are found in abundance, “the deep” is that place we’ve invested heart, time, and energy, only to find it’s our place of failure, futility and emptiness. As He did with Peter, God takes us to our deep in the midst of our disappointment and defeat and replaces our despair with focus and purpose.
Like Peter, our launch into the deep requires we override our hesitation, especially when we don’t understand why we should return to the deep except Jesus says go. Jesus doesn’t send us into the deep alone; He journeys with us, assuring us He is ever present, even in the deep.
It’s in the deep God allows us to face our past defeat and failures, then refocuses and encourages us. God proves His dominion over the failed circumstances of our lives and replaces our emptiness with overflowing abundance.
When God calls, overcome the hesitation; launch out into the deep with Him and see what great things will happen!
Lesson to Remember: Sometimes God must carry us back to our place of failure to move us into our place of purpose.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9
