At Your Word

There have been many times in my life when I have put all my effort into something only to have it crumble before my eyes. Making brownies is one of those things. I follow the directions on the package exactly and every time I pull them out of the oven they are hard as hockey pucks and obviously inedible.  

Have you ever put all your ability into doing something and walked away without any success?

I'm sure Peter and his friends were very frustrated and disappointed after fishing all night and catching nothing.  They were not novices when it came to fishing.  It was their livelihood.  They did this to support their families. They knew the tricks of the trade and had developed the muscles and intuition that can only acquired with practice and over time. Yet, despite their expert knowledge and great skill, they came home that night empty handed.  

They had worked hard for hours with nothing to show for it!  Then along comes Jesus.  He says nothing about their competency or their lack of success.  He uses Peter's boat to teach the people who were on the shore and when He is done, He turns casually to Peter.

                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.” 

                              Luke 5:4, 5 ESV

When Peter let down his nets this time, there were so many fish, that he had to signal to his partners on the shore to bring their boat back out to help him bring in this miraculously large catch.  This story is an example of how the power of Jesus compliments our efforts to bring in a harvest that we cannot contain.  

Doing things on our own without Jesus may occasionally result in some measure of success.  But when we include Jesus in what we are doing, when we combine His power to our ability great things can happen.  

God did not wave a magic wand and instantly fill their boats with fish.  The reward could not be brought in without the combination of human effort and faith in Christ.  Peter and his partners had to use their knowledge, their equipment, and their muscles to bring in the fish.  They had to work at it and put forth effort.  While the size of the catch was huge, they still had to do their part in order to bring the fish in.

The same thing is true in our lives.  God will not usually give us the easy road out of tough situations but He will add His power to our abilities, He will give us His wisdom to help us see a bigger picture, and He will send His favor out before us to open doors we could not have opened on our own.

God's hand in the midst of our lives will always bring us a better outcome than if we try to do it on our own.

Stop trying to maintain your independence.  You don't have to struggle to do everything by yourself.  God is here.  He wants to help you and He will help you.  If you ask.

Let God supplement your hard work.  Take Him at His Word.  Refuse to believe anything that does not agree with the Holy Scriptures.  You can live the abundant much more life Jesus promised you when you combine God's Word with your abilities, talents, and skills.

Great things happen when you do the best you can and let God take care of the rest.
Heidirn