There are moments in life when faith becomes inconvenient.
In those moments, the most logical thing to do is to give up.
These seasons are marked by quiet exhaustion — painful losses that pile up, repeated struggles with no clear explanation, near-success syndromes that leave you close but never complete, failures that sting deeper because you genuinely tried. Doors close. Help doesn’t come. Effort no longer produces results. Strength runs out etc.
Everyone encounters such periods sooner or later.
Moments where faith is stretched thin. Where hope feels irresponsible. Where continuing looks foolish. And in those moments, if you decide to stop trying, nobody would blame you. At least you tried.
But that is not the language of God.
The Picture of Giving Up
Imagine this scenario in Luke 5:1-11.
The Bible does not introduce this scripture glamorously. Rather, it opened with the picture of hopelessness and despair. It gives the account of men who were frustrated from their endless night struggles. These were not amateur fishermen but seasoned experts who couldn’t explain the reason for their struggles. They applied all the skills and techniques they knew.
Yet, the only thing they had to show for their efforts was nothing. Empty nets. They signed to their fates and decided to do what any logical human being would do, give up and go home. Peter was among those frustrated fishermen.
Here’s what makes this narrative striking:
It is not a random scene. It is the illustration of the dilemma of mankind. The picture of the futility of human efforts, often without divine assistance. Before Jesus came to the scene, those men struggled without explanations.
Indeed as Solomon described, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill…(Ecclesiastes 9:11).
This describes the cruelty of life. There are times when life can seem so unfair because natural advantages fail you, without explanation. This is also the reason why you should never place your trust in the ephemeral things of this world because they can fail when you least expect.
Some people put their trust in their beauty. Others place their confidence in their wealth, affluence, status, certificates, family background and so on.
No matter how solid these things appear, history has proven that they are “sinking sands” and when you place your confidence in them, they can fail.
Peter’s case and his colleagues was that of men who seemed to have been dealt with the harsh reality of trusting in their skills. When their skill failed them, they became frustrated.
This is the vanity of human struggles.
When Jesus Enters the Scene
The next scene was a sharp contrast to the previous episode. It was the entrance of Jesus.
It’s the picture of mercy, grace and redemption that offers hope. But how it unfolded teaches us the lesson that deep faith in Christ begins by obeying “foolish instructions.”
Jesus was aware of the struggles of Peter and his friends. Yet, ironically, he did not start by addressing their big issue. The simple reason is that what we often consider as struggles is really nothing in the sight of God.
Obedience begins with a test. Miracles are the result.
Imagine this again. Jesus began to move about, asking those frustrated fishermen who had abandoned their boats to “thrust out a little.” They might have been excited but disappointment would have given way to more frustration and anger when they learned the purpose of his request.
Who uses a boat to preach?
So, you could imagine the frustration of those men and even vented anger. However, in the midst of that, one man chose to obey otherwise.
See, Peter had encountered Jesus prior to that time. It was not his first time of meeting Jesus. He knew Jesus as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. But through his act of foolish obedience, he was going to recognize Jesus as the miracle worker. (John 1:35-41).
Outwardly, it appears cruel but this is the picture of surrender.
When Jesus enters the scene, he asks us to surrender all our struggles in quiet obedience. He knows about our deepest struggles but until we come to the end of ourselves, we may never experience the fullness of His power.
Can you trust the Lord when it doesn’t make sense? Can you allow Him to use your life as a “platform” even when you’re going through the most difficult circumstances?
This is the test of faith.
Many say “I believe” until it is time to obey the seemingly contradictory instructions. The real reason Jesus asks us to surrender is so that He can bless us beyond our wildest imaginations.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you – 1Peter 5:7
Jesus cares deeply about you. He enters the scene so that He can redeem your hopeless situation. His entrance is the picture of mercy and grace.
But we must be willing to release our “empty boats and nets” to Him so that He can use them to perform his greatest miracles.
It is never over with God.
Launch Out Into the Deep
If the test was ridiculous, the next instruction would have also been considered malady.
This is the contrast of divine power and human ability. It portrays the extent of human limitation and God’s unlimitedness.
When Peter passed the test of obedience, Jesus did not negotiate with his struggles or failures. He did not begin to sermonize Peter with a message we are all familiar with “It is well” or “Everything will be alright.”
No, the master was going to perform a miracle that would baffle every man. He was going to teach Peter and everyone around that when we dare to obey God’s invitation to launch deeper, we would have net-breaking results.
After a long night of toiling, the safest option would have been to play it safe. But God doesn’t do shallow. He never plays it safe. He is the God of the deep. And He is always calling his children into the deep, regardless of your present limitations.
It takes deep faith to launch out into the deep. Faith defies logic in those moments, yet guarantees results that baffles logic.
This kind of deep faith is not dramatic. In contrast, it is the picture of brokenness. It is the voice of trembling that cries, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. It is a vulnerable, desperate faith.
Deep faith believes against hope. The faith that trusts and holds on when it doesn’t make sense. This faith is not supported by any human strength. Before God calls you into the deep, He’d have stripped you of all your confidence in the flesh.
Deep faith risks human mockery. Imagine the kind of aversion Peter would have faced from his colleagues. It was so bad that they refused to follow him to go again into the same waters that they struggled. At least, until the result showed up.
Beloved, this is where the Lord is calling you into.
He is aware of your limitations. He knows about all your struggles. He cares deeply about you. But you must be willing to release your confidence in your own ability.
Can’t you see? Your strength has not gotten you anywhere. You must be vulnerable like Peter to acknowledge your limitations and desperations. You must come to the realization that “If the Lord does not help you, there is no other way”
Deep faith is birthed in our most vulnerable moments. It becomes clear that God is the only option or nothing at all.
Shallow faith produces shallow outcomes. God is not calling you to play it safe. He is indescribably sufficient and able to fulfil your greatest expectations, if only you can choose to obey His voice.
Next time, you feel that you are being led to do something bigger than yourself, OBEY. It is the voice of God within you. The devil will never call you to attempt great things because only God does great things.
You have been playing it safe for long. You have remained shallow and it has not yielded any breakthrough. Now, you must be willing to LET GO and LET GOD.
Net-Breaking Harvest
Your miracles are on the other side of deep faith.
Peter did not know what was coming but Jesus knew all along. He wants to bless you so big. He wants to enrich you beyond measures. As it is written “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard neither has it entered any man’s heart, what God has prepared for them that love him”
This is the promise of God and He has proven it over and again that He is able to bless you exceedingly.
When we obey God’s instruction to launch out into the deep, we can expect that the outcome will be net-breaking harvest. At the command of Jesus, all the fishes in the sea concentrated in one part of the sea, waiting for the net of Peter.
Imagine this irony, that Peter refused to launch out.
What is holding you from launching out into your net-breaking harvest? Faith is never passive. Faith is active obedience to the word of God. You must learn to defy logic and move, at His word. When God sends His word, all the elements line up, waiting for your movement.
So, there is no net-breaking harvest without a bold movement.
Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t matter how many times, you tried an failed. The difference this time around is that the Lord of creation has given His word and everything is waiting for you to launch out. Don’t hold bakc any more, just launch out in faith.
In conclusion, remember that there are moments when we are all tempted to quit.
But Scripture reminds us: “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not faint.”
The harvest is often closer than it appears.
The miracle often hides beyond the point of exhaustion.
If you are at your wit’s end, you may not be at the end of God’s work — you may be at the beginning of His power.
Do not give up yet.
Do not wash your nets too quickly.
Do not retreat when depth is being demanded.
Sometimes, faith becomes inconvenient because breakthrough is near.
And deep faith still produces net-breaking results.
