Advent - Luke Chapter 5

This is part of a series exploring Luke’s Gospel for the Advent season. One chapter a day for the first 24 days of December. (We’ll see how we go!) I hope you enjoy :)

- Jeff

Trusting God with the little things seems easy until it’s a little bit uncomfortable. Peter had already been out fishing all night (Luke 5:5). Tired, grumpy (I imagine), and perhaps a little dubious, he still did what the Lord instructed.

When was the last time you felt like that? The blessings for our obedience might be unexpected. Perhaps we don’t expect it to turn out well. In a sense, though, perhaps that shows how little we know God: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

Maybe sometimes we don’t push our boat back out again into the water because we don’t want to risk the heartache. We’ve faced disappointment before: we have used our own strength to achieve what we set out to do, and maybe that’s left us weary and empty-handed. Perhaps now is the time to trust the Lord in what He says, even if it seems a little non-sensical at the time.

Lord, how would have me cast out my net on the other side? Striving in my own strength won’t get me far - direct and help me, please.