God is on Our Side

Published: March 18, 2022, midnight

b'The night had been long. Simon felt bone-weary as he cleaned his fishing nets. There on the shore, surrounded by a large crowd, was Jesus. This man had already healed many. He taught with such authority; He had even driven out a demon who called Him \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153the Holy One of God.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nSimon was wondering what Jesus would do next, when Jesus stepped into Simon\\u2019s boat\\u2026and looked at him in a way that made Simon feel seen and known. Jesus asked Simon to move his boat to the shallows. Shrugging, Simon complied, and Jesus sat down and continued teaching from the boat. When Jesus finished speaking to the people, He turned to Simon and said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Put out into deep water, and let the nets down for a catch.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nFeeling like he needed to clean the wax out of his ears, Simon shook his head in bewilderment. No one fished during the day. He said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Master, we\\u2019ve worked hard all night and haven\\u2019t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Simon signaled his partners, James and John, and together they lowered their nets into the water.\\nAfter a moment, James yelled, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153John, Simon, look!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d They peered over the side of the boat and gasped. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153There\\u2019s already a bunch of fish in the nets!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d The boat began to tip at the sheer number of fish flowing into the nets, their bodies shimmering in the morning sunlight.\\nJohn signaled more of their partners in a separate boat for help. The muscles in Simon\\u2019s arms strained as he gripped the net with all his strength. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153The boats are sinking\\u2014there\\u2019s just so many fish!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d James threw his head back and laughed in wonder. Simon looked at Jesus and fell at His feet. Surely this Jesus was more than just a man. \\u2022 Savannah Coleman\\n\\u2022 This story is how one author imagines Luke 5:1-8. Why do you think Simon did what Jesus asked?\\n\\u2022 What did Simon say when he fell at Jesus\\u2019s feet, and why do you think he said that? What did Jesus say in response? (Luke 5:8-10) \\n\\u2022 Who is Jesus? Simon (later renamed Peter) followed Jesus, and God revealed His true identity to him. Simon Peter was the first of the disciples to say that Jesus is \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153the Messiah, the Son of the living God\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (Matthew 16:13-18). To find out more about who Jesus is, check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.\\nSo they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:11 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.9|Zeph.3.17'