Because You Said So: Luke 5:5

“And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’”

-Luke 5:5

Luke 5 begins with Jesus teaching beside the Sea of Galilee. A crowd presses in around Him, hungry for truth, so He steps into Simon Peter’s boat and asks him to push out from the shore. Peter obliges. When Jesus finishes teaching, He turns to Peter and says, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

At this point, Peter is tired. He and his partners had worked all night and caught nothing — a hard failure for professional fishermen. They had already cleaned their nets, packed up, and likely accepted that the day was a loss. So Jesus’ request wasn't just inconvenient — it felt unreasonable.

But Peter doesn’t respond with sarcasm or stubbornness. He says something that has become one of the most powerful declarations of trust in all of Scripture:
“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.”

That last line — “But at your word…” — holds the weight of faith. It’s the moment where obedience is chosen not because it makes sense, not because it feels good, and not because success is guaranteed — but simply because Jesus said so.

And what happens next? Peter lets down the nets, and they catch such a large number of fish that the nets begin to break. His boat starts to sink. It’s overwhelming — a miracle so intense that Peter falls to his knees, undone by the realization that he is standing before the Holy One.

But here’s the key: the miracle didn’t happen because Peter had great faith in a good outcome. It happened because he obeyed despite his doubt. He obeyed despite his exhaustion. He obeyed when he didn’t see a point.

God often calls us to that same kind of obedience — to forgive again, to keep praying even when heaven feels silent, to be generous when money is tight, to stay planted when our feelings want to run. And like Peter, we’re not always going to feel brave. But obedience isn’t about confidence in the situation — it’s about confidence in the One who speaks.

Sometimes God blesses you after the obedience, not before. The breakthrough you’re hoping for might not come until you’ve pushed out into deep waters and let your nets down again.

So if you’ve been toiling — in your faith, your work, your relationships — and you feel like giving up, take a breath. Jesus might be calling you to try again. Not because you’ll catch the fish. But because He said so.

Prayer: Father, help me to trust You even when I can’t see the outcome. When I’m tired, uncertain, or discouraged, remind me that obedience is not about knowing what comes next — it’s about knowing who You are. Give me the humility to say, “Because You said so,” even when I don’t understand. Strengthen my heart to let down the nets one more time, to take one more step, and to follow Your word above all else. I believe that You are faithful, and Your word never returns empty. In Jesus’ name, Amen.