Focus: Just Obey God!

Text: Lk.5:5

"And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net."

A carpenter is telling a fisherman what to do to succeed in the fishing business. What sense does that make? Peter has been in the fishing industry all his life, and a landlubber comes to tell him the absurd thing about the business that he knows so well.

The fish stay out of sight in day time, hiding under the rocks in the water, but they come out at night to feed, and that means that the best time to catch fish is at night, not in the day. Besides, the kind of nets they use are meant only for night fishing.

Peter couldn't make out the head and tail of the sort of order Jesus has just issued. For Peter, the facts don't add up. His long years of experience in the industry, his broad expertise, and his sense of logic can't take it in. Peter states the obvious, but with a mixture of sarcasm in his voice, when he says, "WE have toiled all the night, and had taken nothing." Mark the word 'we.' I will return to it later. Peter implies by his words that Jesus' command lacks real sense. Night time was known as the best time to catch fish, for then the fish come out of their hiding to find food on the surface of the water. But then, the truth of the matter is that the one who is asking you to launch out into the deep for a catch, is Himself the fish maker and owner. He has power to make Peter succeed where he once failed. Come to think of it, who says that God can't make you succeed at odd times? Who says that God can't satisfy you in austere and adverse times? No time or moment can lock out God or the miraculous. God is still the God of the eleventh hour.

God demands for your obedience, not for your opinion.

God is ever committed to rewarding obedience, not argument, not logic, and certainly not conventional ways of doing things. God is not bound by conventional means of achieving success. As far as God is concerned, the road to success is diverse enough, and His word alone determines the means and times. So the success of a Christian is tied to his ability and readiness to obey God's word and follow the Spirit's voice. In different ways and times divine revelation overrides man's means and ways of doing business, including the measures he takes, and mind you, revelation from God always comes with an instruction to obey.

Do what God says, whether it makes sense or not, and you will see awesome results. God's word has the mechanism to bring about what God says. Just obey God!

Then Peter says, "Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." The word 'net' is in the plural. Peter says, 'I will let down the nets.' Before that, Peter called Jesus, "Master!" The word in the Greek implies one who speaks with authority, and one who stands over another. Jesus is Lord, and He makes the rules. He makes no suggestions; He issues orders. Jesus is our 'epistates,' the very word that Peter used for Him, and which can be translated as teacher, master, chief, boss, superior, or the one who stands on top. And don't forget that all things were made by Christ, the Living Word. He was the maker and master of the waters and everything in them. In God's world, God's word is the system of operation. He rules by means of His word.

I pray that we all come to that spiritual place of Peter where he says, "Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the nets." He is essentially saying, 'Lord, I don't understand it. It is not a sensible thing to do, especially for someone who has been in this business for a long time. But I will do as You say. Your word is final, Your wish is my command.' As he immediately obeys, we read, "And when THEY had this done, THEY inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake" (Lk.5:6). Mark again the word 'they,' and bring back the word 'we.' Both plural pronouns means that Peter was not alone in his failure and he was not also alone in his success. It was team failure and team success. We serve the God of immediate and ultimate results. He is the Christ of immense power and impact. Do what God is telling you to do, and you will surely experience a miracle. 

Never allow your experience of past failure stand in the way of your future success. Just obey God! God makes success possible even in the place of past and immediate failures. Spiritual laws are superior to conventional wisdom.

Let me bring to your notice the counsel of a wise preacher. He says, "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good" (Ecl.11:6). The wise preacher is saying in essence, 'Keep making efforts until you succeed. Don't stop doing what you can today because you failed to hit your target yesterday. One failure or more doesn't make you a flop.' Just obey God! There are no shortcuts for obedience to the word of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit. Just obey God, and you can begin now!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter