“And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).

The fishermen at the Sea of Galilee that day were washing their nets after a fruitless night’s work. Jesus arrived, and because of the press of the crowd, asked Simon to let Him use his boat to push out a little way while He taught. Then, when Jesus finished speaking, He said to Simon (v.4), “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Simon’s despair was evident, as he stated the facts: “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.” But then Simon put his faith in the Lord: “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” The result? “They inclosed a great multitude of fishes” (v.6), and Jesus promised, “From henceforth thou shalt catch men” (v.10).

Much later in Acts 10, Simon Peter, transformed by the Holy Spirit, saw a vision and heard God’s voice commanding him to kill and eat “common and unclean” animals. This led him to accept an invitation to the house of Cornelius, the Gentile. “Nevertheless at thy word,” must have been on his heart as he “let down the net” to Cornelius.

It is no wonder that one of the most beautiful passages regarding the word of God is found in Peter’s first epistle: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (I Peter 1:23–25).

There may be times in our own lives when we are tempted to regard so-called facts and traditions above the word of God. Our response, without hesitation, should be “Master . . . nevertheless at thy word I will. . . . ” CJH