Obedience and Blessings . . . They Go Hand in Hand

Simon Peter and his men were tired. They had been fishing all night with other men in their own boat and had caught nothing. I'm sure they had mouths to feed, obligations to meet and probably were hungry themselves. All they wanted to do was wash their nets and go home.

But this man shows up and between the two boats he chooses Simon Peter and asked if he would take him out away from the shore a little so he could speak to the great crowd that wanted to hear him teach.

Once in the water, I wonder if Simon Peter found a place in the boat out of the way and leaned against the sideboard to try and take a nap. But how could he sleep. I'm sure the words he heard from the stranger must have pierced his heart, for after the man spoke to the crowd he then turned to Simon Peter and said "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch,"(Luke 5:4).

"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 5:5).

Then it happened . . . "they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking," (Luke 5:6).

They caught so much fish that they had to ask the men from the other boat to come and help them. And not only that, they filled up BOTH boats to the point that they were sinking.

I have dreams. Don't you? Dreams for me, my family, my ministry, my job. But I get tired of trying to make things work out like I think they should. I toil on into the night sometimes doing the same thing over and over without any results.

But every once in awhile I hear "Do it again . . . even though you just did it and let me help this time."

Oh if I could always be like Peter Simon and say " . . . at your word I will . . ." when I hear His voice.

Sometimes Jesus chooses us, among others, to use in miraculous ways -- we must put aside our tiredness, our negative attitudes, and our will and do what He ask.

Are you sleeping in the boat instead of listening to God's word either by reading and studying on your own or hearing the word preached? Open you ears and your hearts to His teachings. He may be preparing you for something He is getting ready to ask you to do.

Is He asking you to do something today? Don't fall asleep in the boat and ignore His voice. Today may be the day He blesses you beyond your wildest dreams! It may not be a boat load of fish, but I can promise you this . . . it will be more than you can handle, even by yourself! And when He does it, you will KNOW that He did it, not you.

Photos courtesy of pixabay.com
Scripture taken from the NKJV of the Bible