Don’t Wash Your Nets Too Soon

“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

In Luke 5, Jesus told Simon to launch his net out into the deep. Peter told Jesus that they had fished all night and caught nothing. But when he did what Jesus said to do, a miracle happened. When Jesus first walked up to the lake, the fisherman’s boats were empty and they were washing their nets. That was an indication they had given up. At some point they had decided, “It’s not going to happen. I give up.” There is a posture, attitude, and spirit of failure that can come upon your life if you are not careful. 

Have you given up on some things that God hasn’t given up on? It’s not over until God says so.

So many people have “washed their nets” because of hard situations and have decided that they are done with trying, but God is not intimidated by your failure. He may be saying to you today to launch back out and dig deeper. You may think you are a failure because you have run out of connections and ideas. Maybe you think that you cannot break free from your habits and addictions. Possibly, you have struggled so long with something that you have just “washed your net” and accepted failure in that area. 

Just because you don’t think that you can do it, doesn’t mean it can’t be done! With God all things are possible. When Jesus got involved in Peter’s seemingly impossible task, things became easy. Peter began to catch so many fish that his net couldn’t contain them. If you will entrust your life to Jesus you will see things that you have not even imagined possible. You will end up in places that you never thought you could be. You will witness miracles. 

This was one of Jesus’s first lessons for Peter. Years later, Peter would learn once again that God will use a person despite their failure. This humble man who didn’t even believe in himself enough to catch a fish went on to preach on the day of Pentecost and later was known as one of the great patriarchs of the faith. Maybe you are failing right now, but that doesn’t make you a failure. Like Peter, get back up and say, “Nevertheless, I will do as you say.” Believe what God’s Word says about you. Don’t wash your net too soon! Get back out there and try again! With God by your side you will see amazing things begin to happen in your life.

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