Deep in God’s Goodness

Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Luke 5:4

We serve a generous God. He does not skimp on His kindness or hold back on His goodness. At times we may have wondered what God wants from us in order to receive this limitless generosity, but there’s no catch (so to speak). God simply wants us to go deep – and trust.

In Luke 5 we meet Simon, Andrew (unnamed), James and John at the water’s edge washing their nets after a night of fishing. Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to move it back a little from the shore, from which point He began to speak to the gathering crowd. When He had finished, he told Simon to put the nets into the water again, ‘out into the deep.’ Simon was understandably hesitant and replied:

Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. (v5)

Simon had to call for their partners, John and James, to help with the haul of fish because it was so great that both boats began to sink. What an introduction to the generosity of God. That day, Simon became a disciple (as did the other three) and began his journey into the deep with Jesus.

Three years later, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have the same scene again. Simon and six others had been out fishing the whole night but had caught nothing. In the morning, a voice from the shore told them to cast the net again and just like before, ‘they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.’ (John 21:6)

From start to finish, there is no end to the generosity of the Lord. God’s supply of goodness to us is not just a one-time-only deal; it is boundless and it flows continually throughout our journey with Him.

Trust God when He speaks, and don’t hesitate to go out into the deep when He asks, for His goodness will fill your boat to overflowing.

Picture Credit: Photo by Carolyn Dawson – Strangford Lough, Co. Down, NI