When Jesus tells us to cast our net, we should expect big things.
Sometimes we wonder if God can do big things through us. We reason that we are not great speakers, or great at memorizing scripture, or even strong enough in our faith. There are times when we don’t even feel like we are very good people. But, those are the times when Jesus can really step in and show His power.
The Gospel of John tells us that after the resurrection, some of the disciples decided they were going fishing. They apparently fished through the night and caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Him.
He called out to them and asked them if they had caught any fish and they told Him “no.” He told them to throw their net out on the right side of the boat and they would find some.
They did as they were told.
I think we might be looking at the key to their success. They obeyed Him. They had been out all night and they had to have been exhausted. Haven’t we all found ourselves in similar circumstances? Exhausted. Discouraged. Frustrated.
When we feel raw and ragged, we often want to give up. When we don’t feel up to the task on our own, we are often willing to quit. But, that’s when Jesus can use us the most. That’s when we come to know that our succeeding in His plans for us are not about our own failing human abilities, but His limitless power.
When they obeyed Him, their net was so full of fish they couldn’t even haul it into the boat. Their success was far better than they could have ever dreamed.
The scripture says that there were 153 fish, but the net was not torn, which leads me to believe that under normal circumstances it would have been. Don’t you just love God’s economy? He can use a few fish to feed thousands. He can put an enormous amount of fish, on command, into a net that shouldn’t be strong enough to support them, yet it did.
Just because God created the laws of nature, does not mean He’s subjected to them.
I love this story because it’s a great reminder that we don’t have to be strong enough, smart enough, old enough or young enough to succeed in any endeavor that God calls us to do. We don’t have to be enough of anything because He is more than enough for everything.
And that gives me great encouragement. Perhaps you needed some today too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂