My devotional: YOU said...

YOU said...

By Liz Omondi | Email: timestodayke@gmail. com | Image credit: medium.com

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. Luke 5:5-6

I smiled cheekily as the children ran off excitedly to hastily work on their simple household chores while I completed my tasks with a bit of quietness while it lasted. This was going to be a short-lived relief from the buzzy fuzzy noise of mixed shouts and cries, not to mention nagging to give him, or her kiboko for doing this, that and the other.

The moment I hear, “Done! Mum come check my room, it is neat now,” I am forced to stop whatever I was doing to go and inspect the finished work. My idea of neat is more often not the same as that of my youngsters, yet when they actually do a good job, I quickly say well done coupled with high five. The drive to quickly jump on to the tasks and complete them hurriedly is usually because of the promise of a reward.

When dissatisfied with the quality of work done, I will hold on to the reward and ask the children to repeat the job, showing them what needs to be corrected. This time the work may be done with a little less enthusiasm, but more meticulously.

If you are a parent, or a person in authority, when a child begins a sentence with the words ’You said,’ many times it is a reminder of an unfulfilled promise that requires action on your part. The children never forget promises. They will keep reminding you of that promise until you run out of every excuse in the book.

After Peter had worked all night and caught no fish, tired and dejected and having given up, Jesus asks him to let down his nets into the water, to give it one more try. After describing his physical and emotional status, worn-out, to the Master, he said, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

This simple act of obedience, ‘because You say so, I will…,’ yielded such a great reward of bountiful of fish that the net began to break and help was needed from other partners, yet still, both boats became full and began to sink.

Of course Simon did not know what was going to happen next after obeying the Master. He had no idea that a miracle was in the waiting due to a simple act of obedience.

Unlike Simon Peter, we have the privilege of reading and knowing the numerous promises of God outlined for us throughout the Scriptures. And God is faithful. He is a covenant keeping God. So we know that He keeps His promises.

How many times do we humble ourselves before Him and obey the Scriptures, and like Peter say, “because You say so, I will?” What about when we have been obedient to His Word, and where there is a reward, like children, do we go back to our heavenly Father and remind Him His promises to us in Scripture? Though He does not forget, it is okay to still remind Him, You said… He is so gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.