And when He had

     finished speaking,

He said to Simon,

"Put out into the deep

and let down your nets

      for a catch."

And Simon answered,

"Master,

we toiled all night

   and took nothing!

But at Your word,

I will let down the nets."

And when

     they had done this,

they enclosed

a large number of fish,

and their nets were

               breaking.

            Luke 5. 4-6

(The key words in this

passage are:

        "And when..."

And when

   we seek God,

   we listen to God,

   and we respond,

there is no end

     to what God will do.

Even in one step

   of obedience to Him,

God never works

   in singular outcomes.

His miracles are never

              for show,

but always for deeper

    relationship with Him.

The victory here was not

the visible haul of fish,

but Simon's responding

        to Jesus.

Do we acknowledge

what He is saying to us,

but also acknowledge Him

   in the outcome?

Or do we miss out

because we make excuses

and try to

     explain Him away?)

O LORD,

Help us to follow You

in the very details.

Not just to hear Your voice

but to respond,

ready to serve and to love,

   shoes already tied on.

Help us to trust You

when the nets are empty.

Help us to acknowledge You

             even then,

and always when

You bring about

    Your visible wonders.

Not just that we would know,

but that others may come

            to know You.