Our world functions on trust, and without this aspect of trust we as a society will most probably come to a stand-still. Think about it… we trust the transport system, the medical community, the food industry, the educational institutions, and so many more all of which are run and are maintained by human beings. When something goes wrong we blame it on the system, and carry on with our lives by entrusting ourselves to others. This trust is also a vital ingredient for the smooth and peaceful functioning of a family, and every other organization that involves human beings.
Trust is an important aspect for life, but the question that I would like us to ponder on is, ‘Why do we find it so easy to trust in men (though they fail us often), but find it so hard to trust in God, who is faithful and unfailing?’
The Psalmist says it so aptly in Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” (ESV)
Many people find it hard to trust God because they have to put their faith in an unseen God. There are others who feel they are self-made, and hence do not want to trust in a God as they do not recognize that He is Almighty, creator and sustainer of this universe and every one living on it.
As we study an incident in the life of Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, we will better understand how we too can put our trust in the Lord Jesus and experience the wondrous miracles that Simon experienced.
This incident is recorded in Luke 5:1-11. The scene is from the shores of the Sea of Gennesaret. Jesus is followed by a huge crowd that had gathered to hear His teachings. There are two empty boats on the shore because the fishermen had just gotten back and were washing their nets. These fishermen had toiled all night and had caught nothing. So you can try to imagine the mental, emotional and physical state they must have been in. Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and asks him to push it a little farther into the sea so Jesus could sit and address the crowd that had gathered there.
1. Simon gave room for Jesus
We read in Luke 5:3, “Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” (ESV)
The first thing we note is that Simon Peter was willing and ready to let Jesus use his boat. Not sure how much Simon knew about Jesus, but he did not hesitate to allow Jesus to use his boat.
There’s an important principle for us to learn from Simon. We have to invite Jesus, and be willing to let Him take over. Firstly, Jesus must be invited to be the Lord and Savior of our lives. Secondly, we must also give room for Jesus to be the Lord and Master of our families and of all our relationships. Nowhere do we read that Jesus forced Himself into any place or anyone’s life. Our relationship with Jesus is simply by invitation which we can either choose to accept or reject it. This is very similar to being invited to a wedding. The invite is given, but to go or not to go is the choice of the individual.
Remember the time when Jesus healed the demoniac, and when the herd of pigs ran into the lake and died, the entire village begged Jesus to leave their town. We read in Luke 8:37 that when the all the people of the surrounding region begged Jesus to leave, He did so without any hesitation whatsoever. However, when Zacchaeus accepted Jesus’ invitation to come to his home, Jesus went readily. The result was that Zacchaeus’ life got saved and his life was transformed.
2. Simon obeyed implicitly
We read in Luke 5:4-5, And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (ESV)
Simon Peter was a seasoned fisherman, and his logical mind told him that catching fish at that time of the day would be an impossibility. Moreover, Peter had toiled all night, and must have been totally exhausted. They had even washed their nets to put them away. Isn’t it amazing that Peter set aside all of his reasons to disobey and agreed to let down his nets only because Jesus said so?
In this journey of trusting God, it is so important that we obey God, and His word totally. Sometimes, we may not feel like obeying, or there may be logical reasons why we shouldn’t or at other times the voices around us are contradicting God’s word. Psalm 128:1 reminds us “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.”(NIV) It is simply not enough if we just listen to God’s word, but we are blessed only when we obey without questioning.
3. Simon received his miracle
This is what happened when Simon obeyed as found in Luke 5:6, “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.” (NKJV)
What Simon failed to achieve by striving all night, he received in a moment when he decided to obey Jesus. It was an astounding miracle. The catch of fish was so great that Simon’s net began to break. They didn’t even go too far or try too hard, but the fish they caught was none like they had never seen before.
The bible is filled with stories of those who obeyed God, and received their miracles from Him. The reward for trusting the Lord Jesus, and obeying Him is the miracles that God will begin to perform in our lives. Instead of striving hard in our own strength if we can totally trust God and walk in obedience to His word, we too will experience the amazing miracles that the Lord will perform in our lives.
4. Simon became a blessing to others
We read in Luke 5:7, “They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (ESV)
When Peter obeyed, not only was his boat filled with fish, the catch was so enormous that he had to summon his partners so they too could come and have their boats filled as well. Isn’t this so much like the little lad who gave his lunch of five loaves and two fish to Jesus, and his little act of obedience blessed thousands that day.
The beautiful thing about obedience and trusting Jesus is that the miracles that happen in our lives will overflow to become a greater blessing to the lives of those around us.
5. Simon recognized who Jesus was and realized who he was as well
We read in Luke 5:8-9, But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,(ESV)
On experiencing this astounding miracle, Simon who was an experienced fisherman suddenly realized that Jesus was no ordinary teacher. The miracle was the work of God, and Simon recognized that he was in the presence of the holy and almighty Son of God. Simon who called Jesus ‘Master’ earlier now fell down on His knees and called Him ‘Lord.’ Suddenly Simon realized that if Jesus perceived the depths of the sea, He could surely look deep into Simon’s heart and discern his sinful condition. Jesus’ holy presence so overwhelmed Simon that He wanted Jesus to depart from him.
Many of us have experienced Jesus’ marvelous intervention in our lives, but only few are willing to recognize that He is the Lord, our Savior, and the one who gave His life as a ransom for our sins. Jesus is the sinless Lamb of God who took our place on the cross and He paid the price for our sins by shedding His precious blood, and having His sacred body broken on our behalf. Like Simon we too must humble ourselves, accept that we are sinners, repent and confess our sins so that we can receive the righteousness and salvation that Jesus offers to us. To grow in our trust in Jesus we must firstly recognize who He is, and also acknowledge who we are just as Simon Peter did.
6. Simon left it all to follow Jesus
We read in Luke 5:10-11, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (ESV)
Not only was Simon astonished at the miracle, but James and John his partners in fishing were also totally appalled. No wonder then that when Jesus called Simon to leave it all and follow Him, so he could become a fisher of men, Simon has no hesitation to abandon his boat, his nets, his profession, and the huge catch of fish to follow Jesus. Suddenly, everything Simon did and possessed seemed immaterial and of no worth compared to the prospect of becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Not only did Simon leave it all to follow Jesus we read in Matthew 4:21-22, “And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” (ESV)
Even the partners of Peter, James and John left their boats, their nets and even their father to follow Jesus.
Jesus called Simon and re-named him as Peter which means ‘rock.’ Simon Peter became a rock and a leader of the early church who boldly proclaimed the good news of the gospel so that thousands of people were added to God’s Kingdom because of his life, preaching and witness.
Everyone like Simon Peter have to take the step of faith to follow Jesus, and in order to do so here’s what we should be willing to do.
• Give room for Jesus – make Him the Lord of your life
• Obey Jesus and His word implicitly
• When you receive your miracle be a blessing to others, and don’t forget the miracle-worker
• Recognize who Jesus is, and also realize who you are
• Commit your life to Jesus, and ask Him to cleanse you of all your sins
• Submit to Jesus, and be ready to do what He wants you to do
• Take a stand and follow Jesus – leave everything behind. This may include relationships, traditions, certain lifestyles, beliefs that you held dear, and sometimes even your profession. Let Jesus be your top priority.
When we chose to trust Jesus completely, He will totally transform our lives and will fulfill His great plans and purposes in and through us.
Let me conclude with this verse from Romans 10:11, As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (NLT) Learn to lean on Jesus, and remember He is that strong and sure pillar who will never fail you for now and all through eternity.
Esther Collins
