I took this picture on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum, the region where Jesus lived and did the majority of His ministry.
It was such a personal and meaningful experience, I thought I would share it with you today, along with this week’s devotional question: What does God NEED from you to accomplish His work in and through your life today?
He didn’t know what to think when Jesus showed up at work that day, but Jesus had a problem.
Crowds were pressing in all around Him. Desperate and hurting, the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf and brokenhearted were all coming from miles away. They had heard the rumors of a teacher who was healing everyone who came to Him. Hopeful for a change in their lives, a miracle, they wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.
Simon Peter didn’t work with crowds. He worked with fish. He and his brother, Andrew, were commercial fisherman who made their living on the water. Their office was on a boat where they would throw out their nets, sometimes all night, in hopes of catching a good amount fish to sell at the market.
Simon Peter knew of Jesus. He had been introduced to Him. In fact, Jesus had recently healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. A healing so miraculous, that she immediately got up and started serving them.
When Jesus showed up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Simon Peter and his brother, and their partners were washing their nets, He found Himself needing a solution for the crowds that were pressing in all around Him.
What did He do?
† Then Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
Luke 5:3 NKJV
This portion of Scripture doesn’t tell us Simon Peter hesitated. On the contrary, it looks like . . .
Simon Peter willingly gave Jesus use of what he used to run his business—his fishing vessel.
Then he pushed it out on the water in order for Jesus to minister more effectively to the multitudes who were desperate to hear what He had to say.
What’s even more noteworthy is that it doesn’t look like Simon Peter gave Jesus use of his fishing vessel in order to get something back.
Jesus didn’t really ask permission, but took the initiative to get in Simon Peter’s boat and then only asked him to put the boat out a little from the shore.
Simon Peter’s fishing vessel was of no use to him at the time. He and his fishing partners just got back from an all night business/fishing trip in which they caught absolutely nothing in return for their time and energy out on the water.
Washing out their nets, maybe Simon Peter thought loaning out his boat to Jesus would be a friendly gesture, a good deed, in return for the good Jesus did for his family when He healed his mother-in-law.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to recognize that . . .
Simon Peter didn’t refuse to give Jesus what He needed to minister to the people in his life!
Whether it be opening his home for Jesus to minister to his mother-in-law or loaning his boat to Jesus to minister to the people in his community and the surrounding regions, Simon Peter gave Jesus what He needed to accomplish His work in and through his life!
We don’t know the result of Jesus’ ministry while using Simon Peter’s boat, but what we do know is that Peter had no idea what the Lord was about to do next.
† 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 NKJV
It had been a long night. Simon Peter and his partners were tired from fishing into the wee hours of the night until morning and they caught nothing to show for it.
But there was something different about the way Jesus taught in the synagogues and ministered to the crowds. Unlike the other religious leaders, the Bible tells us in Mark 1:21-22, that “Jesus spoke with real authority.”
The Lord’s words to Simon Peter went against everything he knew as a professional fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. He knew those waters and the places where the fish would usually gather for him and his partners to catch. Yet, he couldn’t say no to what Jesus was asking him to do.
So Simon Peter went ahead and did what Jesus told him to do.
† And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
Luke 5:6-7 NKJV
It was a blessing from the Lord beyond anything Simon Peter had ever seen in his life!
The thing about this blessing, however, is that
Jesus didn’t bless Simon Peter by giving him a boatload of fish. Jesus blessed Simon Peter by telling him what he needed to do to catch a boatload of fish.
This blessing wasn’t a hand out to Simon Peter. Jesus simply told him what to do. Then Simon Peter had to actually apply the words the Lord gave him in order to see God’s blessing manifested in his professional life. And it was an amazing sight!
† When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Luke 5:8-11 NKJV
So awestruck by what transpired before their very eyes, Simon Peter along with his partners left their catch and their boats all behind to follow Jesus.
It was a life and vocational changing event that all began with the simple act of giving Jesus what He needed to accomplish His work that day on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
By giving Jesus the use of his fishing vessel, Simon Peter was able to help Jesus create a sacred space for people to come and let God breathe new life and bring renewal into their lives through faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.
It was a blessing for the people of his community and the regions beyond that overflowed into his own life and vocation.
It reminds me of the Old Testament story when the Israelites lost the Ark of the Covenant in a battle with the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant housed the original Ten Commandments carved on stone tablets that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. It was the symbol of God’s power for the Israelite nation.
When the Israelite army lost the Ark of the Covenant, it eventually ended up in the home and under the care of a man named Obed-edom for three months. And for those three months, the Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 6:11 that “the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.”
When Simon Peter gave Jesus use of his fishing vessel to minister to the crowds that were pressing in all around Him, it was like he did for Jesus, what Obed-edom did for the Ark of the Covenant. And God blessed him for it!
Let me encourage you today:
Ask yourself, . . .
“What does God NEED from you to accomplish His work in and through your life today?”
Whatever that may be, don’t ever do it because you want to make God feel like He owes you something. That’s being manipulative; a kind of religion that is man-made and likened to witchcraft.
Rather, ask God for the grace to hear Him knocking on the door of your heart and to let Him in; for the grace to give God whatever He needs and to trust in His leading for your life!
He may give you something that’s going to stretch you; a plan, an opportunity, a door you may have to take a step of faith to walk through. It may go against conventional thinking, the status quo and everything you know from your years of experience.
But if you can learn to trust the Lord’s leading for your life, you can trust He won’t do a half way job. He will be faithful to finish whatever He starts!
In fact, in the words of the Apostle Paul to the Church in Philippi, . .
† I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6 NLT
Let me PRAY for you!
Almighty God, You are the God who doesn’t do things halfway. Whatever You start, You are faithful to complete it.
Lord, grant unto us this day, the grace to discern and give You whatever You need from us, to accomplish Your work in and through our lives. Help us to remain humble, teachable and receptive to your Word and your leading. When You give us something that may stretch us, Lord, increase our faith! In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen!