Cast Your Net One More Time! by Janey Goude

Simon was a master fisherman. 

This was a man who knew how to fish. 

He had skillfully trolled the waters all night and come up empty-handed. His experience told him there were no fish to be caught. Who was this Jesus to ask an exhausted Simon to let down his net again? 


“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’” Luke 5:5 (NKJV)

Still – nevertheless – Simon submitted himself to the Master. There was something about this Jesus that prompted Simon to act. 

He had heard Jesus speak and knew of His miracles. When Jesus made a request that was intellectually absurd, Simon trusted. 

Jesus did not disappoint – two boatfuls of fish from barren waters.Then He extended an invitation to Simon to walk with Him everyday: an invitation to intimacy. 

Our society values intelligence and independence. Yet God asks us to trust. 

When everything we’ve learned tells us to pull up our fishing nets and go home, God may ask us to cast just one last time. The more intimate our relationship with Him, the easier it is to trust His requests and respond, “Nevertheless, Master, because You ask, I will.” 

Is there an area of your life where God is asking you to trust Him and let down your net one more time? Don’t let anything keep you from doing it!

Janey Goude and her husband homeschool their four children, ranging from elementary school to high school. She enjoys exploring God’s open doors in writing, editing, and collaboration. Read more of her writings: Community Advance and Laying Down the Pen.

Image source: LVC