We’re wrapping our John study recently in our women’s group in church, so I was re-reading the last few chapters of John this morning.

I was struck with the theme of faith in the last chapter that I hadn’t quite noticed before…

The disciples weren’t having luck catching any fish… but Jesus stood on the shore and after a brief interaction tells them to throw their nets on the right side and they will find some.

They obeyed and because they trusted his voice, they were unable to haul the nets in because of the large amount of fish.

When their nets were overflowing in an abundance of fish, THEN they knew it was the Lord!

It wasn’t about the “right side,” I don’t think… it was about faith. A step of faith and they recognized it was the Lord!

They obeyed, cast out the net, then they truly saw!

I think we wrestle many times with following in acts of faith because we aren’t confident it’s true and we want 100% confirmation it’s God speaking… but what if it takes the small step of faith and obedience first, we see the overflowing nets and then, then we truly see it was HIM?!

Maybe we are asking for nets full of fish (symbolic of harvest) all backward…

Maybe we trust it could be Jesus, throw out the nets in surrender, releasing in faith our need for control that we even know what we’re doing…. then as we pull in abundant nets, Jesus smiles from shore and we truly SEE, it was him all along.

I’m thinking taking tiny steps of faith, even if that faith is the size of a mustard seed, is what activates our ability to truly know it’s Jesus calling out to us in the boat and to follow his lead.

Jesus got the glory, it was his miracle, but the disciples in the boat got the JOY to haul the nets up because of their simple faith.

There’s a reward in store if we trust. It’s always Jesus’ miracle, his working… but he lets us be a part of his story if we are willing to let go, do what he says, and believe.

We won’t be able to bring the nets in because they will be so full.