Read Luke 5
Have you ever worked really hard on something only for it to fall through? Maybe you studied really hard for a test and failed, or perhaps there is a friendship that you have put a lot of effort into only to be hurt in the end. The bottom line is that there are a lot of disappointments in life…A disappointment is when our expectations and hopes do not come to be…leaving us letdown or frustrated. Maybe you are disappointed right now…
This is exactly what the disciples were going through in Luke 5. They had been working hard to catch fish all day and night, and their nets came up empty. Then Jesus got into the boat and said, “Push out into the deep water. Simon replied, “Master, we’ve been fishing all night and have not caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets out.” The disciples were asked to try the same thing they had already been doing, but this time it was different. Was it because Jesus was with them? Was it because they were walking in obedience to what Jesus had said? Who knows? The scripture says that all of a sudden they were almost sinking with the amount of fish they caught. Jesus was able to surpass the expectations of the disciples, and He still does this in the lives of His followers today.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, but it requires us to go into the deep with Him. God can surpass our expectations in so many ways if we are willing to push out into the deep in our relationship with Him. Are you skimming the surface of your relationship with God? Is there an area in your life where you need to have obedience? Perhaps God is calling you to befriend someone in need or simply to trust Him for your salvation and hope for eternity. Whatever it is, trust that the Lord of the Universe has the power to exceed your expectations in all things…our job is to have the faith to trust Him.
Day 1 of 7 from the 2008 Mission Discovery Devotional
