It was a tough business day for Simon… he had returned from the sea empty handed. It was the nature of his business… there were good days, and bad days. He was ready to move on and get ready for the next day. When he had finished washing his nets, the carpenter sitting in his boat and preaching to the crowds, tells Peter to go out into the deep and cast his nets again.
Go out into the deep? The very place he came back a little while ago empty handed? The place of failure? The carpenter says “Yes” that’s the place… Simon must have muttered to himself "sure, you are the carpenter and you know all about fishing, lets go..."
1 Corinthians 3:21 says “God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe”. As always, Simon would not have understood many things that Jesus preached that day, but he must have seen something what the educated and the respected did not see in the young carpenter. Instead of moving on, he moved back to the very place of failure... this time with the Son of God in his boat, and he found a miracle in the place of failure.
Time and time again, the Lord is sending me to the very places that I experienced failure, insecurity, pain, rejection… The world tells me “move on”, but Jesus says “go back into the deep and cast out your net”. Go back into the deep – the very place I just returned empty handed, frustrated, angry, disappointed... and HE is asking me to throw the net of forgiveness, kindness, love, patience, to the very people who I prefer to stay away from. This time I know I am not going there alone or coming back empty handed, because Jesus is in my boat, and I am ready to be saved through another foolish act that God is calling me to do.
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