00:02There is a moment in the gospel story that is so quiet and ordinary that it is easy to miss
00:09the power hiding inside of it.
00:12It happens on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, long before the crowds grow large and long before the
00:20miracles become famous.
00:22A fisherman named Peter has just lived through one of those nights that many of us know all too well.
00:33He worked hard. He did everything he knew how to do. He stayed out late into the dark waters doing
00:41the work he had done his entire life.
00:44And yet, when the morning came, the nets were empty. No fish. No reward for the effort.
00:55Just the quiet disappointment of another long night that produced nothing.
01:02If you have ever worked hard and felt like it did not matter, if you have ever given everything you
01:09had only to watch the results come back empty,
01:13then you understand exactly how that moment must have felt.
01:19Picture the scene for a moment. The night has been long and silent on the Sea of Galilee.
01:25The boats moved slowly across the water, nets thrown again and again into the darkness.
01:35Fishermen knew their craft. They understood the patterns of the water, the movement of the fish, the best places to
01:45cast their nets.
01:47Yet, hour after hour passed, and nothing came up from the deep.
01:54Eventually, the horizon began to glow with the first tense of morning.
01:59The light crept slowly across the water, and with it came the quiet realization that the opportunity for that night
02:08had passed.
02:11Scripture tells us something that seems small at first, but carries a powerful meaning.
02:17The fishermen had finished their work and were washing their nets.
02:24Washing the nets was not just a routine chore. It was a signal that the night was officially over.
02:33The effort was finished, and the chance for success had already come and gone.
02:41Now, that detail matters more than most people realize.
02:47Fishermen did not normally fish during the daylight hours because the fish could see the nets more clearly once the
02:55sun rose above the water.
02:56Night fishing gave them their best opportunity, because darkness hid the nets beneath the surface.
03:05But now, the morning light was spreading across the lake, which meant the window for catching fish had closed.
03:14The work was done.
03:17The nets were being cleaned and prepared for another night.
03:22In other words, Peter had reached the moment when fishermen stopped hoping.
03:29Doubt had crept in slowly through the long hours of effort, whispering that maybe the work had been misplaced, or
03:38maybe the waiting would never end.
03:40And many people know that feeling.
03:44It's the quiet voice that begins to question whether the dream was worth pursuing.
03:50It's the voice that says maybe the opportunity has already passed.
03:56It whispers that the season is closed and the effort produced nothing.
04:03Now, Peter stood in that exact moment as the morning light rose over the water.
04:08The nets were empty.
04:11The work was over.
04:13The lake had given him nothing.
04:17And it is right there in the middle of that ordinary moment that Jesus steps into the story.
04:26Now, Jesus walks up the shoreline and sees Peter's boat.
04:31He does not ask Peter about the empty nets.
04:34He does not question the long night or the failure that just took place.
04:40He simply steps into the boat and asks Peter to push out a little from the shore so he can
04:49speak to the crowd.
04:52Imagine that moment from Peter's perspective.
04:55He is tired.
04:57He has been working all night.
05:00His nets are empty and he has already begun cleaning them for the next evening's work.
05:05The last thing he probably wanted to do is push the boat back into the water.
05:12But something about Jesus causes Peter to say yes.
05:18And that small yes may not have seemed important at the time.
05:24But sometimes the smallest moments of obedience open the door to the greatest miracles.
05:33So Peter pushes the boat out again.
05:36Jesus begins to teach.
05:39The crowd gathers along the shoreline listening to every word.
05:44Peter sits there in the boat exhausted watching and listening.
05:53Maybe he is wondering when this is over.
05:56He can go home and sleep.
05:59Maybe he's thinking about how he will explain another empty night to his family.
06:03Maybe he's simply staring at the water thinking about how strange it is that his life has brought him to
06:12this moment.
06:13And then Jesus finishes speaking.
06:18Now, something unusual happens.
06:22Jesus turns to Peter and says something that makes absolutely no sense from a fisherman's perspective.
06:32He tells Peter to push out into the deeper water.
06:36And let the nets down again.
06:40Now, think about what that must have sounded like to Peter.
06:45He's a professional fisherman.
06:48This is what he does for a living.
06:51Jesus, at this point, is known as a teacher.
06:56Fishermen know that the best time to catch fish is at night.
07:00Not during the day when the fish can see the nets clearly beneath the surface.
07:07Peter has already tried all night long.
07:10The time when success was most likely.
07:15Now the sun is rising and the water is bright with daylight.
07:19Everything about the situation says the opportunity has passed.
07:25Peter has every logical reason to say no.
07:32And yet Peter responds with one of the most honest sentences ever spoken in scripture.
07:38Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything.
07:44But because you say so, I will let down the nets.
07:51Now that sentence holds the entire secret of faith.
07:56Peter does not say it makes sense.
08:00He does not say he understands.
08:03He does not say he feels confident about the outcome.
08:07He simply says, because you say so.
08:13And there are moments in every person's life when faith looks exactly like that.
08:19You've tried everything you know how to try.
08:22You've worked hard.
08:24Stayed faithful.
08:26You've prayed.
08:27You've done the right things.
08:30And yet the nets of your life seem to come back empty again and again.
08:38Doubt begins to whisper the same message Peter may have felt that morning.
08:43Telling you the season has ended and the opportunity has passed.
08:48It is in those moments that Jesus often speaks the same instruction he gave Peter.
08:58Try again.
09:00And that instruction can feel frustrating at first.
09:04Because the human heart wants results to match the effort.
09:08We want to believe that if we work hard enough, things will automatically succeed.
09:14But the truth is that God often allows the empty nets because the empty nets create the moment where faith
09:24is born.
09:25And if Peter had caught fish all night long, he might never have listened to Jesus.
09:32But because the nets were empty, his heart was open.
09:38So Peter lowers the nets again.
09:41Now, imagine the silence of that moment as the nets slip beneath the water.
09:48Peter has no reason to expect anything different.
09:53The daylight is growing stronger.
09:55The water looks the same as it did all night.
09:59The lake has given him nothing so far.
10:02But the moment the nets begin to tighten, everything changes.
10:10Suddenly, the nets are full.
10:13And not just full, but overwhelmingly full.
10:17So full that the nets begin to break under the weight of the fish.
10:21So full that Peter has to call for help from the other boats just to haul the catch in.
10:29The same lake that seemed empty just moments earlier now produces more than Peter can even carry.
10:39And that is how God often works.
10:42The miracle does not happen during the night of effort.
10:46The miracle happens in the moment of obedience.
10:51The breakthrough does not come while Peter is doing what he always has done.
10:58The breakthrough comes when Peter listens to Jesus and tries again.
11:06There are people listening to this message who feel like Peter on that shoreline.
11:12You've worked hard.
11:14You've done your best.
11:16You've spent long nights trying to build something meaningful in your life.
11:21Maybe it's a career.
11:24Maybe it's a calling.
11:26Maybe it's a dream that God placed inside your heart years ago.
11:31And lately, it feels like the nets keep coming back empty.
11:38But what if the empty nets were never the end of the story?
11:43What if they were simply the moments before your miracle?
11:51God has a way of preparing people through the nights of struggle that nobody else sees.
11:58The nights when you keep going even though the results are not showing up yet.
12:04The nights when faith feels quiet and patience feels heavy.
12:10Those are the moments when character is being formed.
12:14Those are the moments when trust is being strengthened.
12:18Those are the moments when the heart learns that success does not come from human effort alone.
12:28But from the timing of God.
12:31The lake did not suddenly become full of fish.
12:35God simply chose the moment when Peter was ready to see them.
12:40And when the fish finally filled the nets, Peter realized something deeper than the miracle itself.
12:49He fell at Jesus' knees and said,
12:53Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man.
12:59Peter suddenly understood that he was standing in the presence of something greater than he could comprehend.
13:07The miracle was not just about fish.
13:11It was about calling.
13:14Jesus looked at Peter and said something that would change his life forever.
13:19Do not be afraid.
13:22From now on, you will be a fisher of men.
13:28In other words, the empty nets had never been the real story.
13:34They were the doorway to Peter's purpose.
13:39And sometimes God allows the nets in your life to come back empty.
13:44Because he is preparing you for something larger than the thing you thought you were chasing.
13:50Peter thought he was building a life as a fisherman.
13:54God was preparing him to become one of the most influential voices in the history of faith.
14:01But Peter had to experience the empty nets first.
14:07And maybe that's where you are today.
14:12Maybe you are standing in that quiet moment between effort and miracle.
14:18Maybe you are washing the nets of disappointment, wondering if the work was worth it.
14:24Maybe you are tired.
14:27Maybe you are questioning whether the dream will ever come to life.
14:31And if that's where you are, then remember this moment on the Sea of Galilee.
14:38The night before the miracle always looks like failure.
14:44The nets often come back empty right before God fills them.
14:49And sometimes all faith requires is the courage to say the same words Peter spoke that morning.
14:58Because you say so, Lord, I will try again.
15:06Because the truth is, the miracle was never just about fish.
15:11The miracle was about trust.
15:14And the same God who filled Peter's nets that morning is still working in the lives of people who are
15:22willing to push the boat out one more time.
15:29My name is Douglas Vandergraaf and I believe in Jesus Christ.
15:34God bless you all.
15:37Take care, my friends.
15:39Bye-bye.
15:42Let's go to sleep tomorrow.
15:44Bye.
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