God Can Move You into a Different Category
There shall be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is your treasure. — Isaiah 33:6
But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. — Matthew 6:33
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Peter found himself facing failure and need after fishing all night without catching anything. Jesus knew his situation, but before addressing it, he asked Peter for his boat. When Peter placed that resource at the Lord’s disposal and obeyed the command to let down the nets, he received an abundant catch, witnessed the power and holiness of God, and was called to become a fisher of men. In the same way, we must give priority to the Kingdom of God rather than waiting until we have first settled our careers, ambitions, and needs. When we entrust our lives and resources to him, God meets our needs, allows us to see his glory, and can transform our condition and our service for his purposes.
When Peter agrees to let the Lord use his boat, something happens in his life. There is a transformation, there is a change of category, there is even a material blessing that comes into the life of this humble fisherman. How important it is for us to surrender our lives and our resources to the Lord.
You know, the Lord Jesus Christ was undoubtedly fully aware of Peter’s condition at the moment He asked him to let Him use his boat. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that Peter had spent the whole night trying to fish and had not caught a single fish, and, by the way, let me tell you that we are discussing the passage found in Luke chapter 5, if you would like to follow along with me. So, at that moment, when the Lord calls Peter to let Him use his boat, Peter finds himself in a situation of failure, perhaps in a pressing financial situation, because he has not been able to do what he is supposed to do, which is to fish and sell those fish and thereby earn his income. He is in a situation of failure and difficulty.
The Lord understands this. But before attending to Peter’s need, He asks him to let Him use his boat. When Peter allows the Lord to use his boat, the Lord then invites him to go out into deep water and, acknowledging that He knows his need, says to him: Peter, now let down your nets for a catch. And when Peter obeys, we see that the Bible says they gathered such an immense quantity of fish that they had to call others to help them because the boat was sinking.
And then Peter, astonished by the situation and afraid because he knows that he is standing before God Himself—only God could do something of that nature—feels frightened, just as so many other prophets throughout Scripture felt when confronted with the holiness of God and His power. And he feels something like, wow, I am in the very midst of God’s holiness, and I, a sinful man, am going to die upon being confronted with that immensely powerful holiness of God. But the Lord calms him and says: Do not worry; it is all right. From now on you will be a fisher of men.
The Lord then takes care of his personal needs, and it is important for you to understand this. The Word of God says: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” When we concern ourselves primarily with the requirements and needs of the Kingdom of God and forget about our own needs, we see that the Lord will always attend to our needs as well. Many people wait until they have met their personal needs and dealt with matters involving their careers, ambitions, and all these things, and then they intend to serve the Lord. God wants it to be the other way around. God needs you first to concern yourself with the affairs of His Kingdom.
So many passages in Scripture remind us of this: first we have to give to the Lord. The Bible speaks of giving the firstfruits of our lives to the Lord, and then He will bless us. In this case, we clearly see that situation, in which Peter agrees to let the Lord Jesus Christ use his boat. The Lord does not tell him anything about having plans for him.
And then, when Peter agrees, we see that the Lord shows Peter that He was aware of his need and that He also wanted to bless him materially. And he not only receives a material blessing, but the Lord Jesus Christ also shows him His glory. Peter had the privilege of seeing Jesus’ power, His deity, manifested in an exceptional way, as very few people ever saw it.
How wonderful it is that when we serve the Lord, when we give ourselves to Him and to His requirements, He allows us to see His glory; we see the power of God manifested in an exceptional way in our lives. And finally, the Lord says to him: Peter, now you will be a fisher of men. Peter went from being a mere smelly fisherman to being a man, an apostle of the Kingdom of God, and we are still talking about his life. That can happen in your life: God can move you into a different category, bless you materially, and also allow you to see His glory if you serve Him and place your resources at His disposal. This meditation is part of a series of five brief messages about the miraculous catch of fish and the calling of the apostle Peter to ministry. In them, Dr. Miranda discusses practical aspects of Christian growth and service: