Step One: Peter was nearby listening to Jesus. The Lord knew that he was there and that he had an empty boat.
Step Two: Jesus entered Peter’s boat so He would be able to address the crowd better.
Step Three: Peter listened to Jesus’ request. He responded by explaining that he was completely unsuccessful the night before in his attempt to catch fish. Nevertheless, he obeyed the Lord, raised the sails on his ship, and headed out into deep water.
Step Four: Peter received the reward of his obedience.
What would have happened if Peter had said, “No, I spent the entire night out on the water, and if there had been any fish available, I would have caught them”? We can’t dismiss the fact that he was a seasoned fisherman. He knew the waters like we know the backs of our hands. He grew up by the lake, and he understood the components of a productive fishing business—or at least he thought he did.
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Here is what God did so that we know He meant business and was involved. The night before, Peter caught nothing—not one single fish. He came in the next morning, he had been up all night pulling and dragging nets around a small, uncomfortable boat. All he wanted to do was clean his nets and go home to take a short nap so he would have the energy to get up and go back out that evening. But Jesus showed up with a crowd of people, and the next thing Peter knew, his boat had become the Savior’s stage. That was OK. He could say, “Yes, You can use my boat while I finish doing what I’m doing.” It was not a difficult decision, but he had to agree to it. Step One was accomplished.
The next step was more difficult: not only was he tired, but his friends were close by, watching to see what he would do. When Jesus told Peter to head out into deep water where he would catch a large draw of fish, they probably rolled their eyes. A young Rabbi, whom they were sure knew nothing about fishing, was telling Peter—the master, the ace, the CEO of the shoreline—what to do.
Can’t you imagine John and James looking at each other and thinking,
Oh, no, what is Peter going to say? What would you have said? You probably know the ending to the story, so you might be inclined to say, “I would have raised the sails and headed out into the deep.” But would you? Have you, when He has called to you asking that you would obey Him? Obedience looks different when He is asking us to do something that personally costs us more than we think we can afford. Scripture doesn’t tell us whether Peter scanned the scene or looked to his buddies for help. It just tells us one thing: he obeyed the Lord and stated, “Master, … I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
I can imagine that silence fell on those who were on the shore as they watched Peter release the anchor, raise his sails, and turn his rudder toward deep water. You may ask, “What motivated him to do this? Is it something that I can experience in my life?” I believe it is, but you must trust God—not pull out your calculator and add up all that you could gain and all that you could lose. This faith comes by hearing God’s voice and responding in pure obedience.
