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Grace and Peace in Christ!
Let’s begin by looking into the Gospel of Luke when Jesus calls His first disciples in Luke 5:1-11. Reading this passage, I was amazed at the deep obedience Simon had for someone who he just met maybe a few days ago. As Jesus approached Simon, he had one simple command.
“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4
Now keep in mind, Simon’s whole career was in catching fish and Jesus had no background as a fisherman. So when Jesus advised Simon, who had spent an entire night tirelessly working to catch fish, to put down his net again, we can understand Simon’s reluctance to do so.
Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. Luke 5:5-6
When Simon answers, we see his willingness to respond to Jesus’ directive in spite of not understanding why Jesus is asking him to do so. Jesus responds to Simon’s obedience by fulfilling his desires beyond what he could’ve imagined. In the same way, when we act in simple obedience, Jesus is waiting to work extraordinarily in our lives.
What came out of Simon’s simple obedience?
So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink… For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken. Luke 5:7&9
Through Simon’s obedience, Jesus had the freedom to move in such a way that Simon and the people around him were able to experience the power of God. As a result of his obedience, his friends and family were saved by experiencing Jesus.
We often feel that we need to go out of our way to live our lives for God, but what we fail to recognize is that God will go out of His way to meet us where we are. When Jesus approached Simon, he was not doing anything out of the ordinary. He was exhausted and worn out from a whole night's work amounting to nothing and would have had to return to his family and community empty handed. Jesus met him in his exhaustion and frailty and offered strength. When Simon had given up, Jesus provided hope through obedience.
Through a simple act of obedience, relying not on his past experience but on the words of Jesus, Simon’s eyes were opened to the spiritual realm and his life was never the same. Through this one act, Simon received the conviction to leave his old life behind and start anew with Jesus.
The same is applicable for us as the life we now live needs to be a submission to the words of God. Our own abilities may have failed us in the past, but through simple obedience and faithful trust in God, a new life begins in us.
So it depends not on humans will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. Romans 9:16