"Do as you say"
Good advice! When things seem impossible, the best course of action is to just obey God's voice. Do what we know to do, as insignificant as that may be. Just do it.
Here Peter knew it was pointless to pursue fishing. They had. They worked all night and there were no fish. This isn't fishing with poles that depends on fish biting... This is net fishing. Either the fish are presentand caught or not. There were no fish! Yet Jesus says to "just do it again". There is absolutely no reason to expect success, none. It would be a miracle.
Exactly!
Sometimes God allows things to be unfruitful, our labors to go unrewarded. This may well be such an example. God may have called the fish away from the fishermen all night just to make this point... That He alone is in control. It is not our work that generates success, not our talents, not our skill, but His grace. Our part is to obey, work hard, do what we can, but He brings the harvest.
I had an similar experience years ago. As a radio shack franchise owner in a small town, we went yearly to a franchise convention. There I made it a goal to meet as many other owners in similar towns to ask " what works?". I assumed that there would be patterns of success, things to do that usually worked. But no. For years the answers came back all over the map. What worked for one failed for another. Absolutely no pattern. Nothing.
Because scripture is right! God brings the harvest! It's his sovereign choice who and when to bless, and who not.
Here Peter was not blessed, yet. His work led to nothing, until God brought the blessing. Then, as you know, they filled 2 boats with fish! An overflowing harvest.
Our job? To obey, to work, to trust in Him, to walk in faith. It's not easy in lean times! But perhaps its even harder in blessed times to remember that it's all Him and not us! In lean times we need faith, in blessed times we need humility.
Whether your day brings blessing or empty nets... Remember that God is Lord of the harvest. Seek him, and keep doing what he leads you to do. Success is NOT the filling of the nets, success is in following out of pure faith!
Have faith plus humility, and relax. God is good.
