Go Fish!

Is there a hobby or interest that you had when you were younger? Is it still an interest today?
What comes to mind when you hear the word “quest”? If you look for synonyms you’ll find: pursuit, tracking down, chase, hunt, search, find.

In Luke 5 we read an interesting account of Jesus asking some fishermen to take him out fishing at a time of the day when you typically don’t catch fish. For some of us it doesn’t matter what time of day, we still don’t catch fish! Despite the hour, the fishermen agree to take Jesus out. The Bible tells us that before long, they caught so many fish in their net they had to signal the partners onshore to come out in their boat and help them. Both boats ended up so full they began to sink.
How do you think the fisherman reacted? I think we can guess they were filled with astonishment and happiness, realizing what a successful outing it had been. But one of the fishermen responded differently. “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’” (v8).
Why did Peter react this way? If you had been Peter, what might your response have been? Do we ever respond to God this way? Perhaps we are speechless as we think about our great God. Perhaps we drop to our knees in humbleness as we think about our sins and shortcomings as compared to His many blessings for us. It’s at this point that we remember the grace of God restoring our relationship with Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus reached out to these fishermen and commissioned them to be part of His message of restoration for all people. Jesus said, “’Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (v10-11)

It says, “they left everything and followed Him!” Can you imagine that? This was a life-changing moment and from now on, nothing would be the same as they stepped into this God-given quest! What kinds of things do you think these newly commissioned disciples left to follow Him? Would we be brave enough to do the same? Is there something that Jesus is asking you to do that doesn’t make sense? How does that feel? What can you do about it? Because we want to be wise and led by God in our decisions, here are some suggestions that could be helpful:

• Pray about it. Seek God’s guidance (Peter had a habit of quick response without praying or thinking about things first. While we admire his enthusiasm, it’s good to do both first!)
• Spend time in the Bible to see what direction it will provide for you.
• Ask a trusted friend or seasoned believer. Seek their counsel and advice. Ask your tough questions.