Wednesday is the middle of the week, and for a lot of us it’s the point where Monday’s energy has quietly run out. You’ve been working hard. Maybe you’ve been praying hard, too, about a job, a relationship, a child, a body that won’t heal. And if you’re honest, the nets look about as empty as they did on Sunday.
Simon knew that feeling well.
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.” (Luke 5:4–6, KJV)
Jesus gets into the empty boat
Before any miracle, Luke tells us something easy to skip. Jesus “entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s,” and asked him to push out a little from the shore so He could teach the crowd (Luke 5:3).
Think about whose boat He picked. It was the one that had caught nothing. Simon was sitting there washing nets after a long, wasted night, tired and probably a bit embarrassed, and Jesus climbed in anyway. He didn’t wait for Simon’s boat to be full before He chose it.
That’s good news for a Wednesday morning. Jesus isn’t only interested in the parts of your life that are going well. He steps right into the empty places and makes them the spot where He speaks.
“We have toiled all the night”
Simon’s answer is wonderfully honest. Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing. He doesn’t pretend. He’s a professional fisherman, and a carpenter-turned-preacher is telling him how to fish, in the middle of the day, when everyone knows the fish are deep and hard to catch.
Jesus doesn’t scold him for saying it. You’re allowed to tell Him the truth about how tired you are and how little you’ve seen come of your effort. Prayer isn’t a performance. It can start exactly where Simon started: Lord, I’ve tried. Nothing happened.
The smallest, bravest word
Then comes the word that turns the whole story: nevertheless.
Simon doesn’t suddenly feel hopeful. He doesn’t understand the plan. He just decides that what Jesus says matters more than what last night said. Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
Faith often looks like that. It isn’t a rush of confidence; it’s one more ordinary act of obedience done because He asked. Sending the kind message again. Opening your Bible when you don’t feel anything. Showing up to the hard conversation. Praying for the same person for the hundredth time. Letting down the net one more time, at His word.
More than Simon could hold
The catch was so large the nets began to tear and two boats started sinking. And Simon’s response wasn’t to celebrate. He fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8).
Up close, Simon suddenly saw who was in his boat, and he felt small and unworthy. Jesus didn’t leave. He said, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10). The miracle was never really about fish. It was about a tired man finding out that Jesus wanted him, and had a purpose for him bigger than anything he’d been chasing.
By the end, Simon and his friends “forsook all, and followed him” (Luke 5:11). The full boats stayed on the beach. They’d found something better than a good catch.
For your Wednesday
Maybe this morning you don’t need a new strategy. Maybe you need to hear that Jesus is already in your boat, the empty one, and that His word is enough reason to try again.
Here’s a simple prayer for the middle of the week:
Lord Jesus, You know how long I’ve been toiling and how little I’ve seen. Thank You for stepping into my empty boat anyway. I don’t understand everything, but at Your word I’ll let down the net today. Help me not to fear, and help me follow You. Amen.
Go gently into your Wednesday. The nets you lower at His word are never wasted.