Chosen

I recently just watched the first season of the television show, The Chosen. There were powerful moments in every episode, but I was particularly drawn to the portrayal of Jesus calling Simon Peter to follow Him. There was something about seeing that same story I’ve read all my life come alive on the screen that touched me in a brand new and fresh way. 

In this story, we find Simon Peter in a real bind. His debt is due and he has no way to pay it. Simon attempts to go out fishing one last time with the hope that he will catch enough fish to settle his accounts. Hours pass as he sits in his boat and casts the net over and over again. And time after time, he brings up nothing. Weary from waiting for something that seems like it is never going to happen, Simon becomes beyond frustrated. At the end of his own ideas and strength, he looks up at the Heavens and expresses the disappointment rolling around in his heart. 

"I’ve served You and I’ve tried. I’ve been waiting for so long but nothing has happened. You promised a Messiah; a miracle; an answer, but we haven’t seen any evidence of it. Where are you God?"

His cries, not so unlike some of mine sometimes, appear to go unanswered. Instead Simon’s brother Andrew and his friends John and James show up and spend the rest of the night helping Simon reach for what seems more and more impossible with each dwindling hour. 

Enter Jesus. 

Jesus urges Simon to cast the net again. Simon and Andrew explain that they have been doing it all night and have caught nothing. But Jesus doesn’t back down. I imagine that there must have been something about the way Jesus asked them to try again that persuaded them. With a heavy sigh, Simon picks up the net and tosses it out once more. It’s the same action he has done all night, except this time there’s something different. This time Jesus is IN the boat. And the result is more fish than they know what to do with. Simon is overwhelmed with joy and disbelief. Why would this happen now after everything he had tried unless he was witnessing something beyond himself. Could the promised miracle they had all been waiting for be standing right in front of him, even if the packaging looked a little different than they expected? 

The camera pans from Simon to Jesus and the audience sees an enormous grin. It’s abundantly clear that Jesus is rejoicing with Simon and that seeing their reaction touches His own heart with joy. 

That picture of Jesus smiling at Simon froze in my heart too. Jesus wanted to fill Simon, to give him not only what he needed, but a life that was far beyond him. He wants the same for us and desires to step into the middle of those things that we have nearly given up on believing for in our lives. As the story played out in front of me, I heard that still, small whisper, “throw your net out one more time and believe.”

I don’t know where that call to faith meets you today or what net has continually come up empty in your life no matter how many times you’ve put it out there. I don’t know what situation causes you to cry out and ask God where He’s at. But I want to remind you today that no matter what it "feels" like, God isn’t absent. He is there, in the middle of it, urging you not to give up. And He longs to fill your boat and rejoice with you. But while God wants His best for our lives, we must also realize that following Jesus isn’t just about what He provides for us. Sometimes it’s about what He wants to do in us and what He is calling us towards. Simon Peter went from an empty boat to the rock on which the church was built, but it didn’t happen overnight or without some belief and bumps along the way. It happened because He choose to let Jesus on his boat and in turn in His life. Simon shows us that we have to give Jesus permission to get in the boat before He can fill it. 

Simon and his friends weren’t the only ones Jesus chose. Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “The Lord your God has chosen YOU to be a people for His treasured possession.” He reaches down and calls us to be His very own. No matter what personality traits, past experiences, insecurities or wounds you carry and feel may disqualify you, God wants you to know that He still chooses you. He will always choose you. Not only that, but He goes to great lengths for us.

So whether you’re a fishermen in debt or someone just trying to make it through today, knowing the depths of God's love and call at the heart level enables us to go out and make a difference. That same message to Simon Peter is for you too. Throw the net out again and watch what God will do. You never know where a filled vessel will end up. I wonder, what might God be choosing you for? 

-Only Hope

Luke 5:4-11

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Push out into the deep water. Let down your nets for some fish.” 5 Simon said to Him, “Teacher, we have worked all night and we have caught nothing. But because You told me to, I will let the net down.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish, their net started to break. 7 They called to their friends working in the other boat to come and help them. They came and both boats were so full of fish they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he got down at the feet of Jesus. He said, “Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.” 9 He and all those with him were surprised and wondered about the many fish. 10 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised also. They were working together with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for men.” 11 When they came to land with their boats, they left everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:4-11