Simon Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. Then Jesus told him to try again in the middle of the day. Simon's answer shows what faith looks like.
The command. Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).
The problem. Simon said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing” (Luke 5:5). He was an expert fisherman, and his experience said this would not work.
The choice. “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5). Simon put Jesus' word above his own feelings and his own know-how.
What faith is. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is being sure of what God has said, even before you see it happen.
Pleasing God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). God is pleased when His children take Him at His word.
Where faith comes from. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith grows when we listen to what God says.
Mary trusted His word. When the angel spoke to her, Mary said, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Do whatever He says. At a wedding in Cana, Mary told the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). They obeyed, and Jesus turned water into wine.
His word made the world. “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9). The word that made the lake also filled the nets.
Held by His word. Jesus is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). His word is strong enough to trust.
Even the wind obeys. On a stormy night the disciples said, “He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (Luke 8:25).
Honest and obedient. Simon told Jesus the truth about how tired he was, and then he obeyed. Faith does not have to pretend.
When it does not make sense. God's ways are often higher than ours. Noah, Abraham and Joshua all obeyed commands that seemed strange, and God proved faithful every time.
Not by sight. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We cannot always see what God is doing, but we can trust what He says.
To do this week. Think of something Jesus asks of you that feels hard, like forgiving someone or telling the truth. Ask Jesus for help, and then obey Him at His word.
Simon did not follow Jesus all at once. Step by step, Jesus asked him for a little more, and each time Simon said yes.
Yes to the boat. Jesus “got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land” (Luke 5:3). Simon's first yes was a small favor.
Yes to the net. Next Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). This yes cost Simon more. He was tired, and it did not make sense.
Yes to everything. Last, “they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:11). Simon gave Jesus his whole life.
Little by little. Each yes made the next one easier. When we trust Jesus in small things, our trust grows for bigger things.
Right away. Mark tells about the same fishermen: “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18).
First things first. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
A daily yes. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Following Jesus is a yes we say every day.
Peter's no. Years later, on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). Even a great follower can fail.
Jesus prayed first. Jesus had told Peter ahead of time, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).
A second catch. After Jesus rose from the dead, Peter went fishing on the same lake and caught nothing all night. At sunrise a man on the shore told them to throw the net on the right side of the boat, and the net filled with fish (John 21:3-6).
It is the Lord! John realized the man was Jesus, and Peter jumped into the water to get to Him (John 21:7). This time Peter did not ask Jesus to go away.
A new yes. By a fire on the beach, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and three times Peter said yes. Then Jesus called him to follow again (John 21:15-19).
To do this week. Think of one small yes Jesus is asking of you today, like helping at home or praying for a friend. Say yes to Him, and watch your trust grow.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.