"And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret..." (Luke 5:1).

Wherever Jesus went He was surrounded by people, each with his own sorrows, problems, and infirmities. Jesus loved them all and He met all of their needs. Jesus didn't hold complex religious lectures, but when He spoke, His Words conveyed enormous power.

Many people followed Jesus throughout his travels just to listen and experience the miracles which He performed.

An enormous crowd had gathered at the lake Gennesaret in anticipation of Jesus' arrival. When Jesus reached the lake, He was greeted by Simon and the other fishermen. Their faces displayed their frustration as they washed their empty nets.

They had fished the entire night, yet it seemed that the lake held not a single fish. Perhaps in his disappointment, Simon might have held a tear in his eye, because he knew that this day his cashbox would remain empty.

No money for living...what will tomorrow bring? Would he "ever" catch any fish again?

But Wait; Jesus Is Here!
When Jesus came to the lake, the crowd was so large that He had to speak to them from the water. He asks Simon if He could use his ship as a preaching platform.

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
(Luke 5:2-3)

Consider for a moment that maybe Simon might not have been happy about this request of Jesus. He may have been tired from all his hard work and preoccupied with his despair.

In spite of all his skill and experience and for all his efforts he had been unable to catch a single fish. Yes, Jesus was here, but it seemed as if there would be no blessing for him.

Surely Simon Peter didn't expect that at this point of total despair and frustration, that Jesus had already planned an awesome miracle for him.

I can imagine that while Jesus was preaching, Simon was probably preoccupied in thought, contemplating what to do tomorrow. The entire time he was unaware that he was already participating in the plan that Jesus had for him!

While Simon was imprisoned in his own frustration, his miracle was already on the way!

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
(Luke 5:4-5)

You can almost hear the unbelief in Simon's words. Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught? But Jesus, we have worked all night. We have already tried everything and haven't caught any fish!

Jesus provoked the faith of Simon Peter and He wants to provoke your faith too.

Are you at a point in your life where you have tried everything but it seems as if everything fails? Maybe you are sick, hurt, downtrodden, frightened, and "at the end of your rope."

If that's the case, I have good news for you!

Listen to God and when He tells you to do something. Let down your nets for a great draught! God changes frustrations into miracles! What He has done for Peter He will do for you! Oh, those wonderful words... "At thy word" (Luke 5:5)

Take Jesus At His Word
In the natural, Simon saw no point in fishing again; nevertheless he decided to comply with the direction of Jesus. But emotion continued to cloud his mind and he failed to heed the specific instructions Jesus had given.

Jesus told him to let down his nets (plural). Simon however, had cast down a single net. Jesus wanted Simon Peter to get ready for a giant miracle. Had Simon availed himself, entirely trusting in Jesus, he would have organized all the ships with all their nets and gone to sea.

Instead, Simon went to fishing with a single boat and a single net. What happens next could be called a "catastrophic blessing!"

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
(Luke 5:6-7)

When the blessing of God flows, it flows suddenly and enormously, and we don't have to fight for it anymore. All we need to do is to act on His Word!

I am personally convinced that Jesus performed a creative miracle. He did not call all the fish to gather in one place, so that Simon Peter could catch enough. Instead, He took an enormous amount of fish and put them into the sea.

I can imagine that from the beginning, Jesus had planned to demonstrate His power to the people at the lake Gennesaret in this way. I believe that it was part of His plan to lead Peter and the other fisherman to the edge of despair.

These fishermen had to recognize; "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3).

Without Jesus they had no chance—without Jesus we have no chance!

The fisherman were looking all night for a blessing; it is only when they stopped looking for the blessing and started looking to the giver of all blessings that God opened the windows of heaven unto them.

Fishing in the same place where the nets remained empty, they now were filled beyond capacity such that it threatened to sink the ships.

God's Blessing Cannot Be Contained!
In the book of Malachi God says,"...If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

In the Old Testament (2 Kings 4:1-7) a widow, whose two sons were about to be taken as slaves in order to pay off the debt of her husband, went to the Man of God and asked him; "What shall I do?" He told her to gather as many empty vessels as she could find. She went into the house and locked the door behind her and then she began to pour oil, from her nearly empty bottle of oil into those vacant vessels.

God worked a miracle and an enormous amount of oil poured forth such that she filled all the vessels she possessed. She shouted to her sons: "Bring me yet a vessel more!" but there were no more vessels to be found.

What ended this tremendous miracle? It was not God. It was the lack of vessels! The blessing of God simply exceeded the capacity of all the vessels that she could get!

What an awesome God we serve! When we think that he has forgotten us, in reality we are already part of His plan to glorify Himself in our lives. When we think that we have to die, He wants to let us live a hundred years!

When we think that we are financially ruined, He wants to make us more prosperous than Salomon! When we think that we have missed our last chance, He gives us a new beginning! "At thy word" (Luke 5:5).

At His Word—we too are allowed to cast our nets. Maybe God has already given you His Word. Has He called you to do something you have never done before or has He laid it upon your heart to bring a special sacrifice for His kingdom?

If you act on "His Word" you too will experience what Simon and the fisherman experienced at the lake of Gennesaret.

This is not the time to sink down in disappointment; this is not the time to give up. This is the time to cast all of your nets! This is the time to get ready for an awesome miracle.

In Jesus' Mighty Name!

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