Launch Out - Patterns


Luke 5:3 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. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

Another thing to look for when studying a passage of scripture is patterns. One example is in Luke 6:12-13 where Jesus goes to the mountain to pray through the night. Then in the morning He chooses the twelve disciples. We can learn from the patterns of Jesus life to pray then make important decisions.

We see a pattern with Peter in Luke 5.First Peter responds to Jesus request to put out a little from shore. Then Jesus instructs Peter to launch out into the deep and let down His nets. Peter responds again, and the result is a miracle. Peter's obedience is the key. What Jesus was asking Peter to do made no natural sense. Has that ever happened to you? Peter was a fisherman and he knew better than Jesus in the natural how, where, and when to catch fish, but Jesus knew best how to perform miracles. I like Peter's response questioning Jesus at first because we all struggle with this kind of obedience. Peter's decision to never the less obey the word of the Lord is what makes all the difference. I often struggle with obedience, but when I put my pride to the side, when I ignore my common sense inner voice, when I say no to self and move past my fears, then Jesus does something wonderful. In the end Peter's decision not only blessed him, but all the others who came to help with the overwhelming catch.

We need to process how we can follow this pattern in our own lives. What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about now that you may be struggling with? Get to a place where you can say "But at your word I will ..." Decide to move forward and see what God will do.

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