I read in the book of Luke this morning. Jesus borrows Peter’s boat to preach from. It said that Peter and his crew were washing their nets after a fruitless night of fishing. When Jesus finishes His teaching, He tells Peter to launch back out in to the deep and cast his net. Peter says, “Master, we’ve been out all night and caught absolutely nothing! We just finished cleaning everything so that we can put it up to go home and sleep.”
Before I finish the story, I want to stop right here and ponder for a while. I hate dry seasons. The times where you do everything that you know to do, and still it seems that for all of your efforts you get nada, zilch, nothing at all. These are the frustrating seasons where nothing seems to make logical sense. I say things like, “God…how can this possibly be helping me? This is ridiculous! I have trusted, and prayed, and spoken your word, and still nothing has changed!”
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again… I hate the process! I always look forward to the outcome, but I cannot stand the process. If you are not familiar with the “process”, I am referring to the method by which God decides to put me in the pressure cooker and allows me to marinate in the herbs and seasonings of despair, lack, self-pity, doubt and unbelief. I guess what I hate most about the process is that my true inner-self is revealed and my short-comings are exposed.
Trust is a difficult thing for a lot of us. Especially when you are in a dry season that is also in the midst of a life transition. You know that feeling of being the mouse in the maze frantically looking for the cheese. You keep tunneling through each opening, but it seem that you just keep hitting a dead end. It drives me crazy!
I think that it probably drives God crazy, as well. How many times did Jesus confront the disciples with the question, “how long must I put up with you?” followed by the statement, “O you of little faith!” I really don’t think much has changed, at least as far as I am concerned. I think He is asking me the same question, followed by the same statement.
The question is what do we do when we have already tried and reaped nothing from our efforts?
The answer is in the last part of the story I opened with. Yes, Peter was tired and probably grouchy. Yes he had been out all night and just wanted to put it behind him. The drought was real. He had nothing and could prove it. He had eyewitnesses in his crew. But when Jesus told him to do it again, even though he couldn’t rationalize it in his mind; even though his first response was to tell Jesus why it was not a good idea, he said, “nevertheless, at your word I will do it!”
Two things stand out to me. When we are in the dry season, we must get a command from the Lord on how to proceed. We must have ears to hear, which usually isn’t hard because we become desperate to hear something, anything, when it’s dry. Second, we must act upon what we hear, no matter how ridiculous it may seem or feel to us. It doesn’t matter that you have already tried…just do it!
You may be tired. You may have already resigned and chosen to lay down. You may have to go it alone. Peter was the only one who initially went out on the word of the Lord. His crew only joined him when the distress signal went out because the catch was so great and his nets were breaking. In essence, they all got to share in Peter’s obedience. Many people sit on the sidelines until the rain finally falls… Just don’t be one of them. No matter how dry it may feel, know that it’s gonna rain again. Get out your umbrella, in faith! Believe a little more!
