Before

It had simply been “one of those nights” for Simon. And now, he was cleaning the nets, which was the final piece of work for the day. And as he cleaned, he thought, “Was it the wrong location,” “Was the sea too rough.”

It had been a hard night, and while Simon wasn’t afraid of hard work, he detested a rewardless expedition. Perhaps he was calculating his financial losses. Maybe he was thinking about the bills that needed to be paid. In those moments, scrubbing, he was alone with his thoughts, and they most likely were beating him up. That was until he was interrupted.

A crowd. A pressing, intense crowd squeezed around a man. And like a funnel, it directed him toward two empty shore-bound boats, one of them Simon’s.

Simon obliged the instruction of the teacher and put out a short distance into the water, transforming the sea into his platform, and the boat into a pulpit. He taught for a while, and of course, Simon listened. The disappointment of a hard night at sea began to subside. Simon’s introspection turned to captivation as he listened to the words, the uncommon words of this man. Even the worry and disappointment melted into the waves.

Before the benediction had finished resonating in the ears of Simon, Jesus interrupted again, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ~ Luke 5:4

The directive quickened every feeling of disgust that Simon had just calmed. He’d done that. He’d failed. He’d even cleaned and stored his nets for the day.

Yet Simon, a man who was used to controlling his own destiny, a man that had his own boat so that he didn’t have to listen to somebody else tell him when and where to fish, complied.

Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets. ~ Luke 5:5

“at your word”

Before Simon could comprehend what was about to happen. Before the conditions had changed. Before a change in location. Before his hands held the miraculous catch. Before his back strained at the weight of the fish. Before he was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Before the proof, faith. Faith that was buoyed by the words of Jesus. “Put out into the deep.”

Long before Simon was sure, he put out to sea.

Into the deep, at His word, before the nets were full. With Jesus.

Before.