Fishers of Men, Harvest Time!
Imagine Jesus walking toward Simon Peter and his brothers on the shore of Galilee. Imagine Jesus walking toward you, face to face in your disappointment, your season of drought, your 'bad fishing day'. Would it be a coincidence? Would what you have been searching for, struggling with, trying to survive on, trying to eke out a living on suddenly interject with Jesus' presence? What would it mean? What would Jesus reveal and how would you react? This scene played out on the shores of Galilee when Jesus spotted Peter washing his empty fishing nets. The day was dismal, no fish meant no money, no provision. All their expectation, their energy, their time, their effort counted for nothing. They had fished unsuccessfully all night before. Jesus got into the boat pushed it into the water and used this vessel as a platform from which to teach Peter his brothers and a small gathering of people at the shoreline.

Jesus' Ministry had begun in earnest, time was of the essence. Moved by compassion for the people, those He likened to as sheep without a Shepherd, He sought in all earnest - healing, delivering and changing their lives forever. Here He was in Peter's boat, taking up every opportunity to teach. How befitting to demonstrate His need of 'empty vessels' from which to manifest and extend Himself?! Even more than the fish that Peter and his crew could ever wish for was Jesus even more desirous of making them 'fishers of men!" How was He to convince them? How graciously condescending that Jesus would take the empty boat, the empty nets, and the depleted crew and turn their situation around so as to prove Himself? Do we truly have to first see the miracle to believe? Is Jesus' Presence in our lives, in our storm, not sufficient enough to know Him for who He truly is? But being the ever merciful and benevolent God that He is, He shows Himself strong in our moments of weakness, in our fears and anxieties. His Word, His teachings serve to swell our deflated reserves of faith, and in no time like Peter, because He commands, because He instructs, we set our boats into the deep and cast out nets onto the other side, however unreasonable and ludicrous it may appear in our view.

It's difficult to apply logic to the workings of God, the very least we can do when we struggle to fathom or distinguish reality from the supernatural, is to entrust the 'how', 'the mechanics' and the manifestations entirely to Him. This is where faith gives in and makes way! Everything about that miracle catch defied the laws of fishing, defied Peter's skillset as a fisherman, but miracles are never meant to make sense, they surrender to the command, to the voice of our Creator who decrees a thing and it is established! If Jesus could provide fish in abundance to forlorn fishermen in converse circumstances then calling them out to following Him as fishers of men did not seem as preposterous an idea as it would have been before the miracle was performed! Sometimes God tries our faith and at other times He demonstrates His. Like Peter, we realise that empty boats, empty vessels and missed opportunities are prime conditions for Jesus to work in so that our beliefs, our perceptions, our priorities, our vocations, careers and livelihoods are not only easily upstaged and usurped, but that they take on an effortless re-alignment and alliance, a subjection and surrender to the call of God upon our lives. It's a beautiful exchange - A juxtaposition, an intersection of faith verses reality, and an all embracing unencumbered ability to leave all and follow Him.

Jesus said, "The harvest is ripe but the labourers are few". Jesus' primary concern is for His Sheep, they need to be brought into His fold. This is where we feature. Central to the Great Commission is the word 'Go!' - We have to go to these 'white fields' waiting to be harvested for the Kingdom of God. God has demonstrated countless times that He is faithful in using vessels of purpose, jars of clay, willing and faithful servants who will leave all to follow Him unwaveringly brazenly and unashamedly for the Gospel. We have Good News to proclaim in a world of hopelessness and decay - What has God revealed and challenged you to do for such a time as this?