Cindy Powell

“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” –Luke 5: 4

Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing …

We’re tired. Can’t you see we’ve done everything we know to do? We did our very best. We worked hard. We used our gifts and abilities. We gave it our all. But things just didn’t work out  the way we hoped they would work out.

Nevertheless …

Despite our weariness; despite our disappointment; despite the time and effort we’ve invested with so little to show for it …

At Your word …

There’s something about the words You speak. There’s something about Your voice. Even when I’m tired and discouraged, Your words are alive. Your words are life–and they speak life to me.

I will let down the nets …

I will do what You say. I will do what You say, because I believe You. I believe, not because of what I’ve seen, but because of who You are. I believe because  Your words stir my soul. Your words give me the strength to hope … to trust … to believe …

One more time.

What about you? Are you ready to believe …

One more time?

We’ve all experienced times like Peter out on that boat. Times when we did absolutely everything we knew to do, but things just didn’t turn out the way we hoped they would.  In fact, some of us have experienced a lot of those times.

It’s  disappointing. It’s discouraging. It’s hard to keep going. It’s hard to keep believing when you go “all in” and it doesn’t work out …

Again …

And again …

And again.

NEVERTHELESS …

At His word …

Do it again. Try again. Go all in …

One more time.

Do it one more time, because there’s something about His voice. There’s something about His Word:

Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. –Gal. 6:9

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. —Hebrews 10:35-36

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” —Romans 10:11

There’s more. There’s always more. Hope in Him is eternal and infinite. But sometimes our finite understanding needs a little jump-start.

So He speaks … again … 

“Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. –Luke 5:6-7

There’s always more … because He wants to do so much more.

He knows that sometimes we don’t need a few fish–we need a whole new way of fishing. Sometimes we don’t need a simple healing–we need resurrection life. Sometimes we don’t need a nice little ministry, or niche, or corner of  the earth–we need to dream big dreams with a very big God.

Sometimes He wants to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

So sometimes … because He loves us … He waits (see Luke 11:4-6).

Some of you have been waiting a long, long time. But don’t lose heart. His promises are still “yes and amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). He is still “a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  And He is still the One who is “called Faithful and True” (Rev. 19:11).

So NEVERTHELESS … at His word … let down those nets …

One. More. Time.