Put out in the deep waters and lower your nets for a catch. When Jesus told Peter to do this, Peter more or less answered Jesus, saying, “been there, done that.” Peter basically told Jesus that he had tried that before, but it didn’t work. It seems to me that Peter quickly regretted his response and said something like, “well ok, I’ll give it another try.” He gave it another try, and we saw what happened. Peter was taken aback by the number of fish he caught.
Had he not responded to Jesus's invitation, Peter would have limited God's possibilities for him. God is always calling forth from us the best and the more because that's how God made us. His riches for us are inexhaustible, just waiting to be discovered.
Like Peter, we also will receive unique promptings and may also conclude, been there, done that but have we. It may be that in the eyes of some, a response to God's call is akin to the search for fool's gold, but Peter discovered otherwise.
Peter eventually humbled himself, thinking more of Christ's request than his feelings of "been there, done that," and for this, he was rewarded. Peter was remorseful for his refusal to heed Christ's initial request but, when rewarded, replied, "how could I doubt You? How could I so underestimate Your love for me?"
Peter and the other disciples were overwhelmed by God's generosity. Jesus sought to assure Peter that all was well, have no fear, You are mine, and I love you. Jesus reached out to Peter and the others and expressed His need for them. Jesus invited Peter to help with hooking people and not just fish.
What happened in this exchange between Peter and Jesus occurs in the lives of many of us. Something stirred inside Peter to cause him to initially engage Jesus with hesitation and skepticism, yet as time went on, Peter was all in. Jesus hooked Peter with bait that proved to be none other than the Word of God. Peter would go on to hook others.
And we? The invitation is the same. Allow ourselves to take the bait—the Word of God—Jesus Christ, and He will call forth from us unimaginable possibilities.
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