I began the New Year with an enjoyable kayaking adventure. I did some island hopping just inside the Gulf. As I pulled onshore of a small island I witnessed two young men wading in the shallows attempting to catch mullet with a cast net. I watched them for about an hour as cast after cast yielded no fish. With mullet jumping all around them they hauled their empty net to the shore and then proceeded to watch a You Tube video on their cell phone on how to properly throw a cast net. They walked back out in the shallows and tried and tried again with no luck. I was getting ready to leave and breathed a prayer for the two young men from Brazil that they would catch something. Just as soon as I prayed they began screaming in delight. They had caught 3 mullet in their net. They thanked me for praying for them as they hauled their fish to shore.
My Brazilian friends remind me of another story from the Bible involving a fishing net. The disciples had fished all night and had caught nothing. However Jesus called out to them from the shoreline to cast the net on the right side of the boat. As soon as they had done that, John records that they were not able to draw their net in because of the multitude of fish (John 21:6).
Perhaps you have had some devastating events in your life. Maybe a failed relationship, perhaps you lost your job, or a loved one died. Things haven’t been going well for you and whatever you have tried seems to yield nothing. Perhaps you have even sought help from all the You Tube videos of this world and you are still standing alone holding an empty net. God knows all about our situation. He shouts to us over the sound of the waves to take His advice, to listen to His Word. He also encourages us to cast all our care upon Him as He cares for us deeply.
Are you standing in the water holding an empty net? Listen to Jesus. Cast your net in obedience to Him