When Obedience Doesn’t Make Sense
“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” – Luke 5:4–5
Sometimes God asks you to do something that just doesn’t make sense. In Luke 5, we read about a group of professional fishermen who had spent the entire night doing what they were trained to do. They knew the water. They knew their craft. But after all their effort, they caught nothing. They were exhausted. Discouraged. Ready to go home. That’s when Jesus steps in and tells them to go back out and try again.
From a logical standpoint, it was a waste of time. They had already tried. They had already failed. There was no reason to believe that dropping the nets again would make any difference. But Simon answered with one of the most powerful lines in the Bible. “But at your word I will let down the nets.”
When it didn't make sense, he simply obeyed. He didn’t argue. He didn’t ask for a better explanation. He didn’t wait for the circumstances to look more favorable. He just obeyed. And what happened? The nets were filled to the point of breaking.
This wasn’t about better strategy. It wasn’t about technique or timing. It was about trusting the voice of Jesus.
There will be moments in your life when God calls you to take a step that doesn’t line up with what seems smart or reasonable. He may tell you to forgive when it still hurts. To give when your budget is tight. To serve when you feel tired. To step into something new when fear is telling you to stay put.
And in those moments, you will have to decide: Will I trust what I know, or will I trust what He says?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing. Because the difference between empty nets and overflowing ones is not effort. It’s obedience. If God is calling you to something, even if it doesn’t make sense, go back out. Let down your nets again. Trust Him. He sees what you cannot, and what He says is always greater than what you think you know.
Sometimes God asks you to do something that just doesn’t make sense. In Luke 5, we read about a group of professional fishermen who had spent the entire night doing what they were trained to do. They knew the water. They knew their craft. But after all their effort, they caught nothing. They were exhausted. Discouraged. Ready to go home. That’s when Jesus steps in and tells them to go back out and try again.
From a logical standpoint, it was a waste of time. They had already tried. They had already failed. There was no reason to believe that dropping the nets again would make any difference. But Simon answered with one of the most powerful lines in the Bible. “But at your word I will let down the nets.”
When it didn't make sense, he simply obeyed. He didn’t argue. He didn’t ask for a better explanation. He didn’t wait for the circumstances to look more favorable. He just obeyed. And what happened? The nets were filled to the point of breaking.
This wasn’t about better strategy. It wasn’t about technique or timing. It was about trusting the voice of Jesus.
There will be moments in your life when God calls you to take a step that doesn’t line up with what seems smart or reasonable. He may tell you to forgive when it still hurts. To give when your budget is tight. To serve when you feel tired. To step into something new when fear is telling you to stay put.
And in those moments, you will have to decide: Will I trust what I know, or will I trust what He says?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be willing. Because the difference between empty nets and overflowing ones is not effort. It’s obedience. If God is calling you to something, even if it doesn’t make sense, go back out. Let down your nets again. Trust Him. He sees what you cannot, and what He says is always greater than what you think you know.
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Just TRUST in THE LORD with all your heart!
God is searching for someone that believes Him — He deals in no other currency but faith. When your circumstances seem stuck, go back to the last undone thing He told you to do, and do it.