Luke 5:1-7 Cast Your Net into the Sea
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 6, 2018 Luke 5:1-7
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Jesus knew that it was time to go on to a new phase of His life where He would be training His disciples intensely. He was about to call these four men away from their lives in pleasant Capernaum and their families. Peter left a wife, mother-in-law, and children. James and John left their father. Jesus took care of those being left behind when He called His students to come away. Luke says “on one occasion”, so this is not necessarily in chronological order. The KJV says “it came to pass.” This may have been earlier in Jesus’ ministry rather than after leaving Capernaum. In fact, this seems more like during Jesus’ stay in Capernaum. If Jesus was living and teaching in Capernaum, it would be normal for Peter and company to continue to fish to make a living. Jesus knew that He was about to call them away from their families, so He left the families with plenty of money to last while Peter, Andrew, James, and John were gone. Without all the disciples staying and eating up the profits, the money would last a lot longer for Peter’s family.
(Understanding the Text) Peter, Andrew, James, and John were not lazy. They had been out all night trying to catch fish and caught nothing. Now, in the morning, they were finishing up their labors which included cleaning their nets. They were tired and ready to go home and sleep in a little while. Jesus must not have been out with them as they were fishing, so He may have been rested. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were probably happy that the Messiah was teaching near them, so they could listen to Him as He taught, but they were surprised when He got into Peter’s boat and asked him to push out a little from the land. Jesus sat down on the boat and taught the crowd while Peter and Andrew had a front row seat.
This story confirms that Jesus was widely accepted in Capernaum. Crowds came to him to learn and be healed. On this occasion, it seems that Jesus was only teaching, not healing. The crowd was so big that Jesus needed a way to teach without being too crowded. The boat was perfect because it raised Him higher, He could sit, and (I’ve heard that) the water amplified the sound of His voice.
As Jesus taught, the lapping of the waves and the labors of the night relaxed Peter. He enjoyed listening to the Messiah speak while floating on his beloved lake in his own boat. The house was his wife’s domain, but this boat was Peter’s place. As Jesus finished and dismissed the crowd, Peter was looking forward to going home and sleeping in his own bed. He was unpleasantly surprised when Jesus told him to go back out fishing. Maybe, Jesus did not understand. Peter would explain that they had already worked all night with no results. The fish had not been around during the night, so they definitely would not be there now when it was late in the morning. When Jesus just kept looking at Peter with no change in His expression to indicate that He had changed His mind about going out, Peter gave in and obeyed because this was the Messiah after all. As Peter and Andrew started rowing out into the lake, James and John watched trying to figure out what was happening. As Peter’s boat drew farther away, James and John got into their own boat in order to see better. (Or else they had already gotten into their own boat to finish getting it ready for the next time they went out, or because the crowds had pushed them out onto the lake also.) Anyway, they watched with amazement from their own boat when they saw that Peter was going fishing during the day. Why was he behaving this way? Then, something amazing seemed to be happening. The net seemed to be so full that Peter’s boat was tipping sideways. They saw Peter give a familiar signal that he needed assistance, so they hurriedly started rowing their boat over to where Peter was struggling with the net. As they neared, they saw that the net was packed with fish. They hurried to the other side of it and started supporting it. The four men quickly began unloading the catch onto both boats and as more and more fish were unloaded, the boats went lower and lower into the water. There was so much that the boats began to sink down to the water level.
(Application) Luke recorded this miracle to demonstrate that Jesus has the ability to supply our needs with an overabundance of supply. My application to myself is that there will be long dry spells when it seems as if nothing is working right, and I am just spinning my wheels, but I should never doubt. God will also provide an abundance of harvest when the time is right. Another application is that many times effort without God can be fruitless and empty, but when Jesus comes into the picture the effort that was fruitless before becomes an overabundance of harvest. Whether we come up empty-handed or with so much that our nets are breaking, it does not change who Jesus is. Our faith should remain strong in all situations. When Jesus asks me to do something more when I’ve already worked hard with no results, I need to obey even when in my heart, I have little belief that it will accomplish anything. When God says to do something, I need to obey. I may not see results, or I may see an abundance that is too much for me to handle on my own and I will need to call out to my partners for help so that I don’t lose the harvest. Paul says “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1Corinthians 15:58) and “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
(Prayer) Thank You for letting me have a place in Your work. Give me faith so that I do not become discouraged. I know that I am not the cause for success or failure. I am simply to go where You direct me. For this reason, give me encouragement when I feel discouraged. Too often, tiredness and self-doubt interfere with the satisfaction that comes with working for and with You. I claim the promises that You will give me rest, healing, and joy. I ask for these gifts of the Spirit.