One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
Luke 5:1-7
Simon is a skilled fisherman and likely had been for a great majority of his life. At the time of this scripture, the fishermen had worked hard with no success, just the night before. Jesus' command was to do exactly what they had done the night before. Simon was sure to let Him know that he'd already tried that. However, instead of resisting the instructions, he simply said " If you say so, I'll do it."
What heaven speaks, carries more weight than what we know.
Had Simon decided not listen to Jesus, he would have missed the abundance of fish that was caught. There were so many fish, he had to call for help to handle the overflow.
It is unlikely that he would have caught the same amount of fish in his own strength, the night before. It would have taken much longer to achieve the same result.
It is a blessing to receive education and training in various areas, however, the voice of God is priceless. His voice is always the first choice, the right choice, the only choice.
Let's make a decision that when heaven speaks...
Regardless of what it looks like
Regardless of what happened before
Regardless of what we know
Our response will be "If You Say So, I'll Do It"
For Reflection
Have I followed every instruction that God has given me?
Am I willing to commit to obeying God regardless of my feelings or opinion?
Scripture:
Luke 5:1-7
Thank you for the beautiful and encouraging words.