Do you trust Me?!

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found on Luke 5:1-5: One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon (Peter), and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and we haven’t caught anything.” And that’s what Peter said, but this is what he was really thinking: “Jesus, you may be a pretty good carpenter, but you don’t know squat about fishing. You fish with nets at night because it’s cool and the fish are near the surface! No offense Jesus, but now’s not the time to go fishing.”

And we read that and smile and think, “How stupid are these guys to question Jesus,” but we do the same thing in our lives everyday. For example, “Jesus, I know what you have to say about giving, but have you looked at my financial situation?” Or, “I know what you have to say about forgiveness, but have you met my boss? I mean, I know you’re smart and all, but I might be smarter than you on this one.” Do you ever feel that way? But I have to give it to Simon based on how he responded in Luke 5:5: Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” In other words, “Jesus, if it was anybody else, I’d throw them out of the boat. But since you’d just walk on the water, let’s go fishing.”

Luke 5:6-11 says: When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Now understand, as a Christian, this is God’s pattern for our lives. Jesus comes along and gives us evidence after evidence that He’s trustworthy and at some point he going to say, “Now, I want you trust me; I’m asking you to go all in.” And at that moment, from our perspective, it’s a huge gamble because we know what we’re giving up, but we don’t know what we’re getting in return. I mean, if we look at it from Peter’s perspective, think about the risk. For example, “Jesus, I would love to follow you, but I still owe 15 more payments on these boats. Plus, I’m a 4th generation fishermen – my reputation is at stake. On top of that, I’m going to lose a lot of market share in the fishing industry. Jesus, at least try to see it from my perspective. There’s a great deal of risk to leave everything and follow you.”

But think about it from Jesus’ perspective: “Peter, if you don’t do this, think of what you’re going to miss out on. People will name their kids after you...forever. Cathedrals will be named after you – not to mention that I will use you to change the world. People will read about you and be encouraged by you. You’d be a fool not to follow me.” Do you see? It’s just a difference in perspective. And it’s because when God asks us to trust Him, the only thing we’re sure of is what’s in our hand. All we’re sure of is what we think we need to be happy and fulfilled. But God is going, “Just trust Me, because I will never take anything from you that I won’t replace with something that’s so much better. In fact, if you’ll just trust Me, you’ll look back one day and say, ‘I can’t believe I almost missed that!’”

As I think back on the times that God asked me to let go of something I really wanted to hang onto, looking back, it was no big sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong; when I was in the middle of it, it was my whole world. But now I look back and I think, “That wasn’t a sacrifice – in fact, that was the best move I ever made in my life. In the same way, I guarantee you that as Peter, James and John look down from heaven, they don’t consider leaving those boats on the seashore a sacrifice. From their perspective now, that was just a good deal. And it’s because God will never ask us to give up something that He doesn’t replace with something better. But the ball is always in our court. God waits for us to trust Him and make the first move. You see, the issue isn’t what’s in our hand; it’s not what we have. The issue is, “Is God trustworthy?”

I hear stories every week of Christians who spent years wrestling with God over things like relationships, money and dreams. And they’re totally exhausted because they’ve worn themselves out pursuing what they thought they needed to be happy. And they’ve finally come to the place where they’re ready to say, “God, I don’t want a substitute; I want the real thing.” And I know that God is loving and patient and kind, but when He hears that he must think, “Awesome – but why did it take 10 years for you to get here? Why didn’t you just trust Me from day one?”

Just like with the disciples, we see God in action every day. Just go outside and you’ll be reminded that we’re living on a ball of dirt hanging in the middle of nowhere 93 million miles from the sun. If we were 1% closer, we’d fry like an ant under a magnifying glass. If we were 1% further away, we’d be popsicles. On top of that, it rotates every 24 hours right on schedule. Nobody gets up in morning worrying about whether or not the sun is going to come up. Nobody looks out the curtains and says, “There it is – guess I’ll get dressed and go to work.” We’ve seen Him in action, and He’s proven Himself over and over.

So what area in your life is God is asking you to trust Him? And from your perspective, it may seem risky to say, “Yes,” but it’s far riskier to say, “No.” Because you have a loving Heavenly Father who has your best interest in mind. And to be obedient and follow Him will cost you -- but not to obey and follow will cost you far, far more. Would you be wise enough to say, “God, I’m going to take my focus off of what’s in my hand, and I’m going to focus on your character and faithfulness. I’m going to be like the disciples – I’ve seen enough proof; I’m going to trust you.” When you do that, your fear will intersect with God’s faithfulness, and you’ll experience God like never before. In fact, you’ll discover that there’s a whole new world, adventure that God has designed especially for you. But you’ll never see or experience it until you actually trust Him.