At Your Word
Step Up, Step Out, Step Into His Word
Commercial fishing. It is a tough job. You have to be completely prepared to go out onto the water with the right supplies and the right amount of fuel. The best time to actually catch shrimp is throughout the night. This leaves you completely exhausted by the time you get to the dock. Once at the dock, you have to clean out your catch, clean up your boat and make sure your catch is correctly stored. The last thing you want to do is have a conversation with someone. If you haven’t caught a single thing after spending hours on the water you just want to go shower and go straight to bed. You just wasted your entire night.
This is where Jesus found Simon.
Exhausted.
The last thing on Simon’s mind was having a conversation with Jesus. If the crowd was pleased with hearing Jesus, why did Jesus need to interrupt Simon? Simon had given everything he had all night long and had absolutely nothing to show for it. He just wanted to rest at this point. Then Jesus asks him to go out and put his nets down, again. Even though Simon could say he knew, as a fishermen, that there was no point he still chose to tell Jesus “nevertheless, at your word I will let down my nets.”
How many times has Jesus interrupted your life? Every single interruption is a divine appointment that was set up before you were even thought of. How many times have you given everything you know to give and stayed loyal in pursuing God to have absolutely nothing to show for it? His opportunities will not come at your convenience, but in His timing. How many times have you tried and He asks you to try again? He will do His part, but you have to do your part. Nevertheless, are you willing to stand on the word He has spoken over your life about this battle? Are you willing to trust that He knew from the very beginning where you would be in this very moment and that you would be completely exhausted from trying over and over again?
When you come to this place, will you be willing to go out like Simon and see God move in your life or will you stay on the shore continuing to stay stuck where you are?
Opportunity is knocking, will you answer?