WOMEN'S+FRONTLINE+MAGAZINE+ISSUE+WOMEN'S+FRONTLINE+MAGAZINE+MARCH+2017
Women's Frontline Magazine is a monthly digital Christian magazine, filled with inspiring stories from women around the world.
Women's Frontline Magazine is a monthly digital Christian magazine, filled with inspiring stories from women around the world.
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Then he merely says “Launch into<br />
the deep Simon..and let down your<br />
nets for a catch…”<br />
I can almost picture his weariness<br />
and discouragement. His eyes are<br />
blood shot from an all night work<br />
and his shoulders are slumped from<br />
the wear and tear from the push and<br />
pull of the heavy nets..he is<br />
physically and emotionally spent. I<br />
wonder what he was thinking that he<br />
never said aloud..<br />
“What’s the use…let’s just clean our<br />
nets and head home..we are<br />
exhausted. All of this work has cost<br />
us so dearly. .yet we have nothing to<br />
show for it…perhaps this dream<br />
wasn’t mine after all…”<br />
But Simon’s heart is to obey the<br />
Master…so he gently responds:<br />
“Nevertheless…at Your word..I will<br />
let down the net..”<br />
Suddenly the net was about to break<br />
with the fullness of fish..and Simon<br />
couldn’t reel in the net alone. So he<br />
called his partners in the other boat<br />
to help him. The catch was so large<br />
both boats began to sink…<br />
Immediately Simon fell in sorrow of<br />
heart at his lack of trust in the<br />
Master. Surely at also his lack of<br />
sight…discernment…and his ears that<br />
seemed to not hear.<br />
Perhaps he realized he had been<br />
fishing all along without the Master<br />
in his boat with him…for his skill and<br />
self reliance surely would be<br />
enough…<br />
Perhaps he realized he had kept safe<br />
staying too close to the shore..when<br />
Christ was calling him to go into the<br />
deep places of his heart and<br />
Kingdom…he was in shallow water<br />
trying to catch that which can only be<br />
caught out in the deep. Simon would<br />
need different tools and a different<br />
mindset for deep sea fishing…<br />
Perhaps he realized he had kept<br />
casting the nets on the wrong side of<br />
the boat…he kept going left when<br />
Jesus said go on the right side! His<br />
vision was not in line with the Lord’s<br />
yet…for in the past and present the<br />
left was always the side he dropped<br />
the nets..he was stuck in a familiar<br />
pattern…yet going nowhere….only<br />
coming up empty time and time<br />
again…<br />
Perhaps he saw he was trying to<br />
catch the wrong things…money,<br />
success, prestige, or<br />
acknowledgement…when Christ was<br />
calling him to catch men…..<br />
Yet..the one moment when simple<br />
obedience overruled his emotions,<br />
his fatigue, and his lack of faith…he<br />
said…”Nevertheless. ..at Your Word..”<br />
and the rest is history..<br />
A Pondering of Luke 5:1-11
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