Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

You know… I’m not sure if it’s instinctive, if it’s just ingrained into my being, or if it’s just a “man thing,” but instruction manuals usually don’t make it past the opening of the box in my household. While it certainly tries my wife’s patience, I willingly choose to struggle on my own rather than read even the most basic instruction manual. No project, big or small, is too complex that my pride won’t naturally cause me to think, “Eh… don’t need that anymore,” as I toss manual after manual into the garbage.

Occasionally, though, I will come across a project that forces me to dig that manual right back out of the garbage can. I often come across many situations in life where I feel the same way. At first glance, it may not seem like Luke chapter five has anything to do with what I just said, however, I feel that this chapter has endless amounts of applicable guidance only to be found after digging just a little deeper than the superficial storyline that it presents.

Let’s start at the beginning. Jesus has just finished preaching to the crowd that has been following Him in Galilee. According to verse one, this group of people had been pressing for Jesus to teach. So, what does He do? He teaches! What a simple concept. If we would approach God hungry to know Him, He reciprocates that desire to allow us to know Him. Just as James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Moving onto verse five, we see Simon has been fishing all night and all day with no reward to show for his efforts. Jesus asks him to cast his net one more time. Simon has reservations but replies, “Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net.” What follows is yet another miracle performed by Jesus in front of the multitudes.

How many times has God placed you in a situation where you felt that your time and efforts were going to waste? For me, too many times to count. So often though, when we place our faith in Jesus, even when we don’t “feel” it, God will turn a seemingly pointless situation into a source of great spiritual reward.

Even the most dire situations can be resolved by simply believing in Christ’s faithfulness. Take the leper for example. Verse twelve reads:

“Lord if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

To which Jesus replies:

“I am willing; be cleansed.”

This leper’s faith in Jesus’ ability to heal his disease (for which there was no cure) is certainly evident in his words. He is confident that Christ will heal him, and He does! We see this theme repeatedly in this chapter from Simon to the leper and paralytic, to Matthew the tax collector. It’s evident that our faith goes a long way. In life, there can be many roadblocks or trying situations for which we may not be able to foresee positive outcomes. I feel like Luke chapter five represents a basis for the claim that the Gospels are a “manual for life.” Name a predicament for which a hunger to know God and His ways coupled with faith (even that of a mustard seed) are not applicable or useful. It’s pretty difficult, isn’t it? Try to keep this in mind as you go about your day.

Reflections:

• Situational awareness is a learned trait that is certainly useful in life. Are you able to take a step back from a difficult environment and listen to what God is trying to say through it?
• Think of some ways that you can place your trust in God’s faithfulness. For me, it’s my finances. Try praying for God to give you peace over these areas of your life.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Luke 5

Author: Jana Whittington

Today we will be reading from Luke chapter 5 verses 1-14. Our story begins with Jesus preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Lots of people were there to listen to Him! It was super crowded, so Jesus stepped into a fishing boat that was on the edge of the water. He asked the boat’s owner, Simon, to push the boat out into the water. Jesus sat down and taught the people from there. When Jesus finished teaching, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon hadn’t had any luck but he let down his nets because Jesus said to! 

This time when Simon pulled his nets out of the water, they were full of fish— so full that the nets began to tear! They had to call for help from another boat. Soon, both boats were so full of fish that they were on the verge of sinking! When Simon saw what Jesus did, he fell to his knees before Jesus. Simon’s fishing partners, James and John, were also amazed. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you’ll fish for people.” And as soon as they reached the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus! 

This passage is important because we see Jesus work a miracle and teach His disciples what their lives will look like as fishers of people. What does it mean to be a fisher of people? It means that they will be the ones to go out and tell others about Jesus. Just as they brought fish into their boats, they would be bringing people to know and have a relationship with God. Jesus wants us to be fishers of people, too. He wants us to tell others about Jesus so they can know, love, and follow Him as well! 

• Prayer: God, We love You! Help us be faithful to be fishers of people and tell others about You! We want to bring others to have a relationship with You! Thank you for Your love! In Jesus’ name, Amen.