Miraculous Catch

"When he had finished speaking,

he said to Simon,

'Put out into deep water,

and let down the nets for a catch.'

Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night

and haven't caught anything.

But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'

When they had done so,

they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.

So they signaled their partners in the other boat 

to come and help them,

and they came and filled both boats so full

that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, 

he fell at Jesus' knees and said,

'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!'

For he and all his companions were astonished

at the catch of fish they had taken,

and so were James and John,

the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon,

'Don't be afraid;

from now on you will catch men.'

So they pulled their boats up on shore,

left everything and followed him."

Luke 5:4-11

The way seemed murky as I climbed, unable to see my hand in front of my face I faltered, so gloomy was the Way.  Am I on the right path?  I thought I'd feel more sure than this, more fulfilled.  But all I sense is uncertainty and doubt.  As I place my foot in the fogginess that lies before me, I stumble, feeling loose rocks giving way below.  Where are you, Lord?  I thought You promised to never turn from me or leave me alone.  I sure could use your guidance right about now!  I'm afraid!

Suddenly a light shines in front of me, guiding me, giving me hope.  All is not lost.  My God is still with me, and I with Him.  As long as He is leading me through the unknown of tomorrow, I'll be alright today.  

I feel like this hesitant traveler many times.  When I don't see what's going to happen, or fail to understand why things are turning out the way they are, I tend to lose hope.  It's easy for me to get discouraged and think God has left me.  I find myself wondering where I went wrong and what I've done to deserve this kind of life.

The thing is, life is not based on a formula.  I am not guaranteed certain results if I stick to a specific equation.  Just because some people say that if I add "A" plus "B" I'll get "C" doesn't make it true.  Sometimes God gives me "D" or "X."  He's in charge of the outcome.

For this reason, living my life is an exercise in faith.  I do what God calls me to do and leave the results to Him.  I drop all expectations I have for how I think people should behave, how circumstances should pan out, and what blessings I think I should receive.  Instead, I strive to keep my eyes on Jesus and my heart inclined toward Him.  Then I will be able to accept His hand in my life.

Sometimes my current circumstances seem hopeless and ineffective, but Jesus has a way of calling me into transition.

Ridiculous Command

"Go to the Pharaoh of Egypt and demand that he let My people go."

"Prepare yourself to deliver a baby in your old age."

"Even though you are My worst enemy, you will now become My greatest ally."

"The older will serve the younger."

"March around the city and the walls will tumble down."

These are all absurd commands and promises made to God's people.  The statements were received with doubt, incredulity, obedience, confusion or compliance.  No matter how it was received, each one who heard the message must have processed the command in a different way.  

Some may have thought, how in the world could I do something so big?  Others most likely said to themselves, but I've already tried every possible solution and I've come to the conclusion that this is just how things are.  I just need to accept it.  I bet there was at least one person who wondered, is God crazy?  This is not how things are done!  We'll be the laughing stock. . . 

God deals in the realm of the impossible, in the ways of His higher thoughts, and outside the boundaries of societal norms.  God just doesn't think the same way I think!  (Isaiah 55:8-9)  In order for me to follow Him through faith in Jesus Christ, I must let go of all my ways.  I have to accept that when God speaks to me through His Word, other believers or directly through His Spirit that it won't make sense to my human, fleshly mind. 

When God gives me an answer, trusting Him means I'll obey even if I don't see how it could work.

Unexpected Blessing

We are a people of fence-sitters.  A friend of mine was talking about surveys recently, and he said that when designing a questionnaire, it is important to avoid neutral answers like, "I don't know" or "neither agree or disagree" because not only do these provide no feedback, but people usually don't want to take a position so they'll naturally pick these choices.  It's the easy way out.

In life, in the way God designed the world, we must pick a side.  Either I am for God or I am against Him.  Either I am following Him or I'm going away from Him.  Either I win or I lose.  There is no middle ground, despite what I like to tell myself. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28  Matthew 12:30)

If I choose to obey, blessing will follow.  Either God will give spiritual or material blessings, or a combination of the two, but I can count on good coming out of my obedience to God.  He loves my compliance better than any other sacrifice I can make, whether that be my service, my material goods or even my life.  He'd rather have my heart.  (1 Samuel 15:22)

Once I see the work of His hand in my life, I will begin to realize how unworthy I am to receive the good He has for me.  I will begin to understand the depth of my sin compared to the height of His holiness.  It will begin to dawn on me that there is no good in me while He is made of Light.  

Then my humbling process will begin as it did when Isaiah received a vision from God.  The impurity of his own soul became overwhelming as he gazed upon the glory of God. (Isaiah 6:5) It's kind of like if I showed up to the White House for a formal event in my Sunday best but once I got there I realized how shabby my dress looked compared to all the designer gowns I saw around me.  God's perfection has a way of revealing the reality of the filthiness of my heart.

When God blesses my obedience, I will be humbled by the work of His Holy Hand in my lowly life.

New Thing

Some people like to live a life of adventure, experiencing something new every day and expecting the unexpected.  I, however, prefer to keep my life orderly, scheduled and organized. If I don't have a list of things to do, I'm lost.  I like to know what my day's going to look like.

As you can well imagine, God is constantly pushing me to loosen up and be open to interruptions in my schedule.  Those, I've been told by my exuberant husband, are "divine appointments."  As much as I want to keep on God's timetable, I have to admit it's a constant struggle to release control of my calendar.

The Lord is the God of the new thing.  He said through the prophet Isaiah, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."  (Isaiah 43:19)

When I say, "He's as hard-headed as they come.  He'll never change His ways,"  I can remember that God is the author of writing a new chapter in the life of my loved one.

If I'm stuck in a cycle of abuse, or drug and alcohol dependence, I can bank on the truth that God can give me new resolve and break the viscous cycle.

For the times when I think to myself, I always mess everything up.  There's no way I can succeed in pleasing God.  I can turn away from the past and look forward to the future of freedom found in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

As I stand in His blessing, I am faced with a new and unknown future.  Instead of fearing what God is bringing me to, I can remember that He has always been, and will always be, with me every step of the way, helping me and protecting me from harm.  (Deuteronomy 31:6  Psalm 118:6-7)

When God transitions me into something new, I need not fear for He is with me.

My life is not always what I envisioned it to be.  Instead of fretting over what might have been, I would rather choose to look for His light and follow His guidance, humbly receive the blessing He chooses for me, and to allow Him to transition me into a new thing.   During this process, I can take courage from the thought that if God is with me, who can stand against me?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can remember the power behind the One who is for me! What do I have to fear?

How do I dismiss God's calling as absurd, ridiculous or impossible instead of remembering Who He is?

When do I balk at trying something new because I'm afraid it won't work?