Luke 5:6-11
And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Imagine the frenzy of that moment. Peter and company had just spent a very uneventful night on the water. They’d taken nothing in their previous fishing attempt, but now the net is full and breaking from the sheer amount of fish they had caught. The weight of them causes their boat to begin to sink. They call out to their partners, who bring another boat that is also filled and starts to sink. They are wrangling the fish and the net and the boats, and surely it takes much effort to get their boats to shore.

And in the midst of all of that activity, Peter has a revelation. He is humbled by the display of the Lord’s power that he is witnessing. He knows that God has done something here right in front of him. He sees himself as he truly is, and he begins to see Jesus as He truly is. So when the excitement of this great catch dies down, when the fish are under control and the boats are on land, Peter decides to leave it all behind to follow Jesus full time.

What is your “fish in the boat” moment? What has God done in your life that compels you to follow Him? That causes you to see yourself as you truly are and to see Christ as He truly is? What has He done in you and around you that would cause you to leave behind what used to matter so much in your life in order to follow Him into what He has for you to do? Or maybe you haven’t had such a moment. Maybe you’re out there toiling in your boat trying to make something happen on your own. Would you consider inviting Jesus along? Would you listen to what He has to say and be willing to take a step of faith that will lead you out of familiar territory and into a deeper relationship of trust and obedience to your Lord?