Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

For he [Peter] was amazed, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish they had caught; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”
Luke 5:9-10 (emphasis added)

Why did the amount of fish frighten them? Because it was a lot of fish. Earlier (verses 6-7) says it was a multitude. So many that the nets were breaking. And another boat came to help and the catch filled both boats. That’s a lot of fish. Maybe it was that it was daytime. The fish in the lake of Gennesaret (verse 1) went to the depths during the day to stay cool. They only came up — were only catchable — during the night hours. Jesus had asked them to drop their nets during the day. After they had already spent a night trying. Nothing was biting. Nothing in the natural could explain what happened. Many years of experience fishing had taught them that it was over for the day. They had been washing their nets in preparation of closing things up when Jesus had come to borrow a boat to teach from (verses 2-3). There were only two differences from this and other times they had been on the lake (verse 4). First, they had just finished hearing Jesus teach. Second, Jesus was the one who asked them to row out and let down their nets. They heard the Word of God and Jesus asked them something (and we know He only did what His Father showed Him – John 5:19-20).

In verse 5, Peter tells Jesus that he doesn’t want to and doesn’t see the point BUT because Jesus said to, he would. Peter had been listening to Jesus teach. Peter had been hearing the Word of God. What does hearing the Word of God do? It strengthens or grows our faith (Romans 10:17). Peter didn’t believe Jesus, not really. But he chose to obey and that took faith. He decided to have faith in the face of no visible evidence that it was anything but a waste of time (Hebrews 11:1). Perhaps he was expecting a handful of fish. Getting a meal out of the experience. Once the nets were pulled in and the fish settled between two boats, Peter dropped to the boat and confessed he was a sinner — perhaps because of his attitude when Jesus asked him to drop the nets. That’s when Jesus told him not to be afraid.

Peter had just demonstrated that in spite of his physical mind and emotions, he could have faith. Jesus knew that Peter would need faith for what was coming. In fact, the Word tells us we all need faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us “Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.” In Hebrews, several examples of faith are given. Noah, who had no evidence of a flood. Abraham, who had no evidence the country was going to come into his possession, no evidence his body was suddenly going to start producing children again, or that God was going to raise Isaac from the dead; but he believed in all those things. Sarah, who had no proof that her womb was going to become fertile. Joseph, sold to slavery had no proof he would rise to be second only to Pharaoh. Moses, who had no evidence or reason to return to Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Joshua, who had no proof a city would fall without intervention of humans beyond praise and shouting. Not all of these people had perfect faith. Some laughed in wonder, struggled to understand, or questioned God a lot. A couple even REALLY didn’t believe it. But they all chose to have faith. And God moved.

You know who isn’t on the list of great people of faith? Any of the disciples. None of the Twelve. And none of the apostles of Acts either. We look at Thomas as a great disbeliever because he chose not to believe unless he had seen. But that isn’t the lesson of Thomas. None of the disciples believed without seeing. Not one. But Thomas CHOSE not to believe without physical evidence. Here on the lake Peter believed, but did he BELIEVE believe? No. And he confessed to it. He did something here that he also did when Jesus died on the cross. It is important that we see ourselves clearly in relation to the Lord. We are sinful (before salvation). We are always broken before His Holiness. But that will lead to despair. Look at Judas. He realised that he had betrayed innocent blood (Matthew 27:3-5). He saw himself sinful. He was broken before the Lord. And he despaired. Peter, however, here (and later in his grief at denying Jesus – Mark 14:66-72) kneels before Jesus and asks forgiveness. He saw Jesus’ graciousness, His forgiveness, and His invitation to follow Him. This ALSO took faith. Real faith. BELIEVED believing.

As believers, we have a better deal than anyone who lived prior to Jesus’ resurrection. We all have the Holy Spirit fully dwelling inside us. We’ve been raised to new life in Christ. By whom we have His righteousness. We can have perfect faith. We have been given THE measure of faith (Romans 12:3) as we received THE measure of Grace (Ephesians 4:7). What measure? Jesus’ measure. We’re called to be like Him and by Grace through Faith (both of them free gifts from the Father) we have His Spirit so we have access to everything He did. We have Jesus’ faith available to us. Jesus was the Word. The Word is truth and we strengthen our faith through the Word. So the measure of faith that we operate in is exactly equal to the measure of the Word that we have inside ourselves. Through meditation on it. The study of it. Reading it with purpose and intent to receive revelation. The more you do, the more you’ll like it (Psalm 1:1-3) and your faith will be able to do more because the Word strengthens faith (Romans 10:7). We can make a small cake with the ingredients God has made available to us, or we can make a feast. Which will you choose to grow? Which will you choose to walk in?

Don’t wait. Jesus’ faith was depth-less because the Word has no finite depth, no end, and no bottom. Ours can be too. We just need to get that much of the Word inside our hearts. With daily ingestion. With daily meditation. Not letting it depart from our eyes (Proverbs 4:21), our hearts (Proverbs 3:1-6), or our minds (1 John 5:3). Start today. Let the Word give you the faith you need.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Psalm 1

The Lord Jesus wants us to thrive. To grow and strengthen and weather all things that come against us — by barely noticing that they’re coming against us at all. Because we are in Him and He sleeps in storms, confident in the spiritual reality and ever-present power of the Lord God Almighty to save and preserve His faithful. He wants us full of all the good things and rejecting all the bad things. He gives us the tools to do that. To be victorious in Him. To be achievers in Him. To be solid among the winds of life. The Lord knows us. He wants us to know Him and all that He has for us. He loves us so. He wants us to know it.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.