Blessings out of Season

“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” – Luke 5:4

To everything there is a season. A season when there is abundance of joy and laughter. But also there is a season when we feel dry, empty or when nothing seems to be going on, we just feel stuck at one place. It is in this season of dryness, that we often lose our joy and hope for the future. Though the season may be difficult to endure, we can draw some encouragement from the gospel of Luke 5:4-7

In Luke’s gospel, we read about Jesus teaching a multitude of people from a boat that belonged to Simon. After He finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” Remember, Simon had been fishing all night and caught nothing. He was already feeling tired and didn’t feel like going back to the sea and fish and yet Jesus was asking him to cast his nets again. He said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.”

Like Simon, many times we’ve given up on things simply because of the dry season that we are in. At first, things may have been great, but when life takes a downward trend we become so frustrated, no matter how hard you try; you don’t seem to make any progress. You are not catching any fish. You may be going through a season of dryness in your business, relationship, health or work. Like Simon, you have given your all and with everything that you had but still no progress.

Do not be discouraged, there is still hope for you. Like what Jesus said to Simon, I believe He’s telling you and me to ‘launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch’. What He’s saying, ‘Believe again, because am about to do something new and great for you’ Jesus is commanding us to believe in Him and rekindle our hope in areas where we had given up. But as usual, when God commands us to believe again, we respond back with our own expert analysis of the situation.

When asked to cast his nets back again Simon said, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing” It is the same thing we do when God commands us to do something new. We suddenly become experts in areas where we are struggling in, so we say, “Have you seen the doctor’s report? I could never be healed. Or have you seen my business report, my revenues are going downward, or have you seen my previous relationships? They never last long. Or have you looked at my age, I can’t have children?”

The enemy loves it when we are down, discouraged, and when our hope is gone. But that is not where God wants each one of us to be. He intends for each one of us to be victorious, blessed, joyful, strong, and hopeful. Look at the second part of Simon’s speech, “nevertheless at your word I will let down the net”, it’s what made the difference. He was basically saying, “Even though I have worked all night and caught nothing, nevertheless I will believe and try again.” You may be in the situation as Simon’s, your attitude should be: “Even though my health seems not to improve; nevertheless I will rest my hope in the Lord for healing. Or even though my relationship isn’t working; nevertheless I will believe in God for it to work. Or even though my business doesn’t seem to improve; nevertheless I will trust that new clients are coming.”

We are called to be hopeful, courageous, strong, faithful and conquerors. In whatever area that you are struggling in, be hopeful and expect God to do something new and bigger. When Simon believed and obeyed Jesus, he caught a great number of fish that his nets begun to break. God’s blessings always overflow. God’s blessings come even in your season of dryness. He’s not limited by the environment, the economy, the season you are in, your history or what the experts said about you. When it is your time to be blessed, He’ll do it even when it appears to be out of season. God’s blessing always surpasses our understanding. Did God not bless Abraham with a son even at his old age? If he did it for Abraham, He can do it again for you; a blessing out of season. Keep believing, keep up the good attitude and don’t give up. Be blessed!