Luke 5 - Defeat vs. Success, Jesus is the Difference

“4When he (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

Isn’t that a great lesson in life, how to trust in Jesus, what a great example that Simon gives to us. They have been working hard all night, and had no success. They were tired, frustrated, ready to call it quits and accept defeat, to go home and rest. The last thing they wanted to do was to go back out to do more work with no results. BUT, because Jesus told him to, Simon went back out and lowered the nets. Not because he was expecting different results (he had fished all night with nothing to show for it), but because of his faith in Jesus.

“6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.”

Praise the Lord, because of his faith, Simon witnessed a miracle that day. He had been trying all night to catch fish, failing time and time again, until finally, tired, broken, he turned to trust in Jesus. Then when Simon tried again, WITH Jesus, he had so much success that the fish filled, not one, but TWO boats to the point of sinking.

You see, Simon was trying to fish his OWN way, with nothing to show for it but frustration and weariness. BUT when Simon listened to Jesus, did things the way the Jesus told him, trusted and followed Jesus’ plan, without question and full of faith, he was so successful that his one boat couldn’t hold all of the fish (blessings).

Maybe you are facing defeat, such as Simon was. You have been trying and trying but not having success. We all have faced that, I have many times over; however, I’m here to tell you, if you will put your trust in Jesus, let Him lead the way, you will succeed in His plan, His will; and when you do, it won’t be a “small measure of success”, it will be an overflowing fountain so large that you can’t contain it! Praise the Lord. So align yourself with Jesus’, seek God’s will and plan, forget the failures of the past and move forward in faith, then taste sweet success that can only come from the Lord, then give Him all the praise and glory for the victory, for He deserves it and much more. Amen?