Luke 5 records how Jesus called Peter, James, and John to be His disciples. They had come in from a long night of unsuccessful fishing and were washing their nets. Because of the crowd of people around Him, Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to put out from the shore so He could teach the people effectively. Consider Luke 4:4-5:
“When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.’”
Peter’s response shows that he did not consider this action worth the effort, but he obeyed the word of Jesus anyway. Jesus had just finished teaching a large crowd, and Peter had been listening from a privileged position: on the ship with Jesus. Jesus’ teaching affected Peter: he was willing to obey Jesus even when the command seemed unwise to him.
Often, the way of God is not the way we would choose for ourselves. Everything Peter understood about fishing told him the command of Jesus would yield poor results, but he obeyed because Jesus gave the order. By his submission to the will of Jesus, Peter showed faith. The result, recorded in Luke 5:6ff, was impressive. Obedience to God’s commands always yields remarkable results, even if they are not immediately apparent.
When your mind begins declaring superiority to the commands of God, actively submit to His will and know that you are walking by faith as you do. Remember the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NASB)