“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 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 this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:1-7 KJV)
So often in our lives we suffer from near sightedness. We can’t see beyond the present, beyond what we know, beyond the familiar or beyond the ordinary. There is a cure for this but it isn’t found even at the best of optometry offices. It is found at the feet of Jesus and wrapped in unstoppable faith. The Bible says, ” But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him ” (Hebrews 11:6). ” Where there is no vision, the people perish ” (Proverbs 29:18).
We don’t reach out because our faith is weak. We don’t take Jesus at His word and we don’t believe that He will reward us if we diligently seek Him. If we really and truly believed these promises of God we would seek Him and surely find Him. We would exercise our faith daily and reach for more from Him with each and every passing day. Instead we suffer from exactly what Simon and the other fishermen were plagued by in this passage in Luke. We suffer from being happy with status quo, of maintaining and not gaining. We are so comfortable in our comfort zone that we don’t even think about getting out of it. In Luke 5:1-7, we see this very scenario. Simon and the other fishermen had fished all night in the same place using the same techniques as they had so many times before. All of their ordinary efforts produced no gain. But then something wonderful happened. Jesus was brought into the situation. He commanded the fishermen to Launch out into the Deep and to drop their nets. Look closely at what happened next. Though Simon didn’t understand, His faith in Jesus was so strong that He obeyed the commandments Jesus had given him. What was the result? Their gain was so enormous that they were not prepared to receive it. They had to call upon their partners to help them haul in their gain. Fishing with Jesus brought results and not just any ordinary results but extraordinary results.
What does this mean for us? We must learn from these fishermen. We must launch out into the deep even if we don’t see clearly the why or the how. So often we stop before we get started because unlike Simon we just don’t have sufficient faith. We lack faith and therefore walk in disobedience rather than obedience. We must trust and obey just as Simon did. Let’s look closely at Simon’s actions. First, like many of us, he was stuck in his routine. Secondly, his life reflected a relationship with Jesus and he walked in the presence of Jesus. Thirdly, he welcomed Jesus into his life, his routine and even his work. Fourthly, he obeyed Jesus even when He didn’t understand or maybe even agree with Him. Finally, he reaped amazing blessings and benefits.
So, the next time you find yourself living a life that is status quo, remember Simon and the fishermen. Jesus says, ” I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly ” (John 10:10). God came that you might have an abundant life, so you need to live it. Get out of your comfort zone. Stop doing what you have always done and launch into the deep. Live your life in the presence of God. Welcome Him into every aspect and part of your life. Obey His voice and sit back and reap the amazing benefits. ” Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it ” (Malachi 3:10).