1/7/2026

Day 7

 Peter’s Nets

Scripture: Luke 5:4–5 (NLT)

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.’
‘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.’”

Peter’s story begins in exhaustion and disappointment. Luke tells us he had fished all night and caught nothing (Luke 5:5). This was not a hobby for Peter; it was his livelihood. He knew the waters, the seasons, the techniques. Empty nets after a full night of labor spoke not just to failure, but to frustration, discouragement, and weariness of soul. And it is precisely in this place—when strength is spent and confidence is low—that Jesus steps into Peter’s boat.

Jesus does not begin by asking Peter for everything. He asks for something small: space. “He asked Simon to put out a little from the shore” (Luke 5:3). Peter lends Jesus his boat, turning his place of frustration into a platform for the Word. This is often how surrender begins—not with dramatic sacrifice, but with a quiet yielding. Scripture reminds us, “Those who listen to instruction will prosper” (Proverbs 16:20, NLT). Peter listens, even when tired.

After teaching the crowds, Jesus gives a command that challenges Peter’s reason and experience: “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets” (Luke 5:4). Everything in Peter’s training argued against obedience. The time was wrong. The conditions were wrong. The speaker was a carpenter, not a fisherman. Yet Peter utters the defining words of surrender: “But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again” (Luke 5:5). This is obedience stripped of self-reliance. As Proverbs declares, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, NLT).

The result is overwhelming abundance. The nets fill beyond capacity. The boats begin to sink (Luke 5:6–7). Obedience releases provision that human effort never could. Scripture affirms this principle repeatedly: “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (Psalm 37:23, NLT). When Peter surrenders his expertise, he encounters God’s power.

Yet Peter’s response is not celebration—it is repentance. Falling at Jesus’ knees, he cries, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I am such a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). Encountering holiness exposes the heart. Isaiah felt it when he said, “I am doomed, for I am a sinful man” (Isaiah 6:5, NLT). True surrender always includes humility and confession. We realize we are not worthy, not sufficient, not enough.

But Jesus does not leave. He reassures Peter: “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” (Luke 5:10). Grace meets confession. Surrender does not disqualify us—it reassigns us. God consistently chooses the weak to display His strength: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT).

The final act of surrender is absolute: “As soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus” (Luke 5:11). Nets. Boats. Fish. Blessing. All left behind. Even legitimate provision must not become an anchor that keeps us from following Christ fully. Jesus later affirmed this cost: “Anyone who doesn’t give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33, NLT).

What nets is Jesus asking you to lower again, even after disappointment? What expertise, security, or blessing might He be asking you to leave on the shore? Surrender always begins with “at Your word”—and it always leads deeper.

“It is not my fresh Devotion or fire, but my obedience when strength is gone, and nothing remains but His word, that most clearly proves I trust the Lord.”