Trusting The Lord

Jesus is not your average man. Yes, He is known as the Son of man. That indicates His humanity. Yet, He is also known as the Son of God. That indicates His Deity (John 5:18). It is correct to identify Jesus as God (John 1:1-3). He is one of three that make up the Godhead (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9). Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus possesses all the qualities of the divine nature. To verify such, Jesus performed many miracles while on the Earth. A miracle can be classified as a supernatural event. A miracle does not occur via natural means. By performing different miracles, Jesus supplied ample evidence as to why He can be trusted. Let us study one such time that should strengthen our confidence in Him.

Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus encountered crowds that wanted to hear what He had to say (Luke 5:1). One occasion saw Him standing by the lake of Gennesaret. He noticed two ships nearby, and made the decision to enter into the ship of a man named Simon Peter. After compelling Simon to “…thrust out a little from the land…”, Jesus “…sat down, and taught the people out of the ship” (Luke 5:2-3). No doubt, the teaching was magnificent. After all, the master Teacher was at work. Once He was finished with His teaching, Jesus told Simon Peter, “…Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught” (Luke 5:4). This might not seem strange because Simon Peter was a fisherman by trade. However, Simon Peter answered, “…Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).

Keep in mind, Simon Peter is an experienced fisherman, and no doubt knew what he was doing all through the night. However, he did not have any fish to show for his work. Because of such, it might have been tempting to reject the instruction of Jesus. To Simon Peter’s credit, he did as Jesus told. The result was something marvellous to behold. It is recorded, “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake” (Luke 5:6). The amount was so large that, “…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 5:7). While some might try to discredit this as a miracle, it superseded the natural order that Simon Peter had experienced all night long. Simon Peter’s reaction supported the event as miraculous. “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).

As Luke recorded, “For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken” (Luke 5:9). All of a sudden, Simon Peter felt inadequate in the presence of the Lord. The amount of fish was such that dedicated fishermen were amazed. This was no ordinary event, and Jesus was no ordinary man. In fact, this led to Jesus telling Simon Peter, “…Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10). This account is a great reminder that man can trust the Lord completely. Simon Peter was given evidence to support such trust, and so have we.

It is written, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Jesus never fails, and He never disappoints. He is faithful in all things, and a friend that deserves our trust (2 Thess. 3:3). I hope that we will take the time to learn more about the Lord. By so doing, we will see the way that God would have us to go. We can be like Abraham, a friend of God (James 2:23). For Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14).