Because You Said So

May 21, 2020

“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

We all have experienced the frustration of a child, employee, or volunteer requiring a detailed explanation of why your request is necessary or legitimate before moving on it. Sometimes requests are time-sensitive and urgent, so that they work against their own good by their reluctance. You think, “Wouldn’t it just be great if our relationship was filled with enough trust that they would do this just because I said so?”

In January 2020 I was on the Sea of Galilee. Our host had arranged an excursion on a fishing boat, and a fish lunch at St. Peter’s Restaurant on the shore after our trip. The fishermen on the boat showed us how to cast nets—and they did it repeatedly that early morning. But not a single fish ended up in the net. The captain said, “Well, it’s just like that sometimes. Some mornings we can’t find a fish no matter how hard we try.”

Simon was a professional fisherman and knew how to catch fish in the Sea of Galilee. It wasn’t for lack of knowledge or effort that he and his companions had failed to catch any fish that night. The fish just weren’t there. It was their livelihood—if trying harder would have made a difference, Simon would have already done it.

Jesus was a rabbi, formerly a carpenter. His instruction to try again just didn’t make any sense. There were no fish. They all knew it. But Simon’s desire for a relationship with Jesus was bigger than his ego or fatigue. He chose to follow Jesus’s instruction with results that astonished the fishermen. They caught so many fish that their boats began to sink.

God speaks to us with guidance for our decisions and future through His Word. The lives that experience overflowing miracles and supply are the ones like Simon. We might not understand why God would want this or expect this from us, but our attitude is “because you say so, I will.” What if, after a long, fruitless, and frustrating season, Jesus were to say to us, “Try again, this time doing it my way.” Would we be too weary or too sure of our knowledge and current methods to obey? Or would we say, “Because you say so,” and then follow His direction? It could be the difference between empty nets and an overflowing season.

• Are you struggling with a directive from God because you don’t understand why it’s necessary? Pray about the “because you said so” attitude and make it part of your day today.