“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5 NLT

 Do you sometimes struggle to say YES to God? I know I do. I want to see where my YES will take me before I give it. But obedience doesn’t work that way, does it? There is risk when we give God our YES.

Remember the story of Peter and his fellow fisherman? They had fished all night. The right time to fish. They were exhausted after a professionally exhausting and unprofitable night shift. Depressing daylight meant cleaning their empty nets and getting some sleep. Then, Jesus, the carpenter’s-son-turned-itinerant-preacher, gets into their boat, tells them to launch out into the deep water, and cast their nets IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! Peter had every logical reason to turn down this teacher with no professional fishing knowledge. But Jesus’s obvious connection to God caused Peter to let the teacher become the fishing foreman. So, they launched out into the deep water and cast their nets in the middle of the day.

Something about Jesus’ character led Peter to say YES to an action that made no sense at all. And it worked. You know the rest of the story. They caught so many fish that their nets began to break. Peter’s obedient YES proved overwhelmingly profitable. But that was just the beginning.

Peter’s YES teaches me a few things. Maybe you’ll agree with me.

When you say YES you invite God into the situation. Peter’s obedience made room for God to get involved. The miraculous catch that followed Peter’s obedience opened him up to so much more. When Peter recognized God’s hand filling his nets with fish, he recognized Jesus as the net-filler. The proximity of the Provider opened his eyes to himself. He saw his own sinfulness. He saw all the reasons why God shouldn't have anything to do with him and told Jesus so. But Jesus responded by inviting Peter into an even closer relationship. “Come, follow me!”

Your YES may involve risk, but it might not. We often hesitate to obey because we recognize the risk involved. Maybe it will cost money or time or relationships to give God your YES. It is right to evaluate and count the cost, as long as you don’t let it stop you. Peter may have had hesitations, but he obeyed.

Peter’s obedience risked nothing but rest and perhaps reputation. He expected nothing but an empty net. Yet his obedience positioned him to see God move in power and to gain a clearer view of Jesus.

Peter’s obedience had no faith attached to it. But he still obeyed. That encourages me so much! Peter obeyed based on Jesus’ character. Period. I can obey God based on His character even if I can’t muster up faith for the outcome. Isn’t that a relief? YES may be the key that opens the door and invites God to move in power. Even if I don’t see it coming!

Your first YES will lead to the next YES. Peter obeyed when it didn’t make sense. God moved. Peter saw Jesus more clearly and himself more clearly. But what happened next is even more amazing!

Peter’s YES invited God to move and then Jesus invited Peter to more. “Come, follow me and you will fish for people.” I don’t know if that made any more sense to Peter than casting nets in the middle of the day. But Jesus had already proven to Peter that his obedience was worth the risk. Without knowing what would happen, Peter began to follow Jesus, not dreaming that we would still be talking about him thousands of years later. Peter became more than he ever imagined and it started with YES. It started with obedience.

Dear Friend, I firmly believe that when you say YES to God He will do more in you than you ever expected and more through you than you ever imagined. Go ahead. Obey. Even if you can’t figure it out. Even if you have no faith. It’s worth the risk.  

Key Question: What might God do in your life if you simply obeyed?

A Scripture to Consider: “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Luke 5:5 NLT

A YES Challenge:  Do you sense God asking you to do something that doesn’t make sense? What might the result be if you obeyed? What step will you take to find out?

Prayer: Father, like Peter, I often question what You tell me to do. I try to figure it out and understand why. Help me to put that energy toward simply obeying. Help me to stop trying to make sense of it and just say “yes.” What You are able to do with my YES is so much more than I can understand. Help me to simply step out and trust Your character even when it doesn’t make sense to me. Amen.