Rev Gav

Surprise

Luke 5:4-5

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

⁵ “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

Reflect

Jesus was preaching from a boat, in an inlet near the shore, on the sea of Galilee — a large inland lake. After speaking, Jesus turned to the fishermen and asked them to go fishing. Now, on the lake, if you wanted to catch fish, then the best time to do it was at night, and the fishermen had been working hard all night long and had not caught a thing. Then, in broad daylight, Jesus asked them to go further out into the lake and drop their nets. You can guess where the story’s heading, but I want to stop here just for a moment. Jesus was not a fisherman, he was a rabbi, and most likely by trade, a builder (being the son of a builder). So this rabbi builder is telling the fishermen to do the opposite to what they would normally do.

What I learn from this is that God is a God of surprises, and I love that about God, and because of what Jesus had being teaching, the fishermen agreed to do as he said. It must have been an amazing sermon they had heard! Perhaps Jesus was teaching them about trusting in a God of surprises?

Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem counter-intuitive. Firstly, like the fishermen, we need to be in a place where we might hear from God. Secondly, we need to be ready to use our skills, talents, and kit, if he asks us to. And, thirdly, we need to be ready for him to ask us to do something different or out of the ordinary.

Do

Today, be prepared to trust in a God of surprises. This will mean getting yourself in a place where you will be able to hear from God.

Pray

Holy God
Draw me to a place where I can hear from you.
I am ready to use my skills, time, talents, and possessions
in your service, and to bless those around me.
Just say the command and I will do as you say.
This day and for ever.
Amen.

Think

Why did Simon the fisherman agree to follow Jesus’ commands? How can we be like Simon?