HOPE TRIUMPHS OVER TOILING

“Master, we have TOILED ALL NIGHT and caught nothing; nevertheless AT YOUR WORD I will let down the net” (Lk.5:5).…” – Luke 5:5b

AT the WORD of GOD, HOPE TRIUMPHS OVER TOILING: “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have TOILED ALL NIGHT and caught nothing; nevertheless AT YOUR WORD I will let down the net” (Lk.5:5). Peter and his company of fisherman, were discouraged and frustrated having toiled all through the night without catching a single fish. Tired and dispirited, they lost hope, had given up, and were already “washing their nets” (v.2) – until Jesus showed up. Having undergone a long night of effort without success, in their minds, they had concluded that there was nothing for the day, not knowing that there was a surprise awaiting them from the Lord.

Peter and his tired and worn-out partners, had done everything right, yet caught nothing. But when they listened to Jesus, they immediately found Hope. The Wisdom of God surpasses every expertise of men. When God comes into the picture, the impossible becomes possible. The moment of discouragement is the right moment to cling to God’s Word to inspire, guide, and strengthen us. When God is our guide, we can surmount the insurmountable. His Word releases Hope to the discouraged, depressed, tired, weary, worn-out, failed, and frustrated.

Although the Lord knew that the fishermen had toiled in vain all through the night, having seen them wash their nets; instead of instructing them to cast their nets immediately, He took His time and taught them first. Thereafter, when He commanded Simon Peter to cast his nets, and he did according to the WORD of the LORD, they caught an astonishing, net-breaking quantity of fish. When we feel there is no more hope, the reality is that there is still HOPE in the WORD of GOD to guide and strengthen us, and produce our long-expected miracles. Peter allowed the Lord to use his boat and preach, even though he never knew Jesus had something great in store for him

Discouragement sets in when there is a loss of confidence, enthusiasm, or hope, such as after encountering failure in the face of difficulties. There are times when we’ve worked truly hard to meet some targets in life, but to no avail. We might have made sincere efforts yet things remained as they were. There were times we’ve prayed fervently that God answers or sees us through, but we met compounded problems. These can make us discouraged about life, about God, and about our future. We must keep going, keep trying, and keep praying. Jesus didn’t tell Peter to cast his nets into a different lake; it was the same Lake of Gennesaret. Jesus simply said, “Launch out into the deep” (v.4).

Suddenly, Peter’s futile toiling became fruitful! Peter and his company, in an instant, went from hopeless to hope-filled; from regret to rejoicing! Beloved, we need hope to heal from failures and disappointments. We need hope to usher us into greater joy than we ever thought possible. We need to hope to encounter peace like a river in our souls. We need hope to trust one another, especially after trust is broken. We need hope to survive and thrive in a nation and a world that seem to be all out to frustrate the righteous, and to kill and bury positive expectations.

Finding and keeping Hope is about letting Jesus tell us where to drop our line and knowing that when we listen to Him, the catch will be more abundant than we can ever imagine. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood supports me in the 'whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. AMEN.