Launch Out Into the Deep – Luke 5
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” — Luke 5:4
All night long, Peter and his fishing crew had “toiled” and “taken nothing.” They were tired and ready for bed. As he and the other men washed their nets and thought of home, drained by the night’s labour and their unsuccessful efforts, Jesus was teaching there along the sea.
The crowds were pressing in on Jesus, so He asked Peter to row out a bit from the shore to give him a better vantage point for teaching. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Simon Peter to go out in the deeper water and let down his nets for a catch.
Peter told the Lord that they had already tried all night and had caught nothing, but he surrendered to the master’s command and obeyed. What a surprise! Their nets filled up so much that they had to call for help. Both boats were so full they almost sunk.
At this, Peter fell on his knees in repentance, confessing his sin and acknowledging Jesus as His Lord. Jesus proceeded to call him and the others to follow him and He would teach them to catch men.
There are times in life, we feel like Peter, exhausted, empty, and frustrated by hard work with little to show for our efforts. Yet, Jesus commands us to keep going back out into the deep and keep letting down our nets. Who knows when and how the Lord might choose to give a great harvest of souls that humbles us and astonishes us.
If you are about to give up and feel like nothing is working, keep on going out, keep on sowing the seed, keep on letting down your nets. The Lord is the master and tells us to go. This just might be the time we reap a great harvest!