Astonished

Growing up, my aunt and uncle in Michigan had a large property with a big pond. We would often pull out the fishing rods, scatter in different areas and go to work trying to see who would get the first catch. You’d want to run over to the same spot because it was lucky, right? That’s where the fish were biting. I never really liked to fish – I was too impatient and never seemed to catch anything. I wanted all the glory without any of the work. And while I wouldn’t make a good fisherman, one of the first encounters we see of Jesus is in Luke 5 with a group of fishermen.

He calls them to “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Mind you, they had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything, as Simon so clearly reminds him in verse 5. Yet, he responds to Jesus and they put back out to sea. It goes on to describe how they caught a large quantity of fish, the nets began to break, they had to signal for backup and then still it was so much that the boats began to sink.

Simon Peter responds to Jesus in astonishment at the catch, proclaiming “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” He recognizes who he was in light of who he was.

Something happens here that goes beyond just doing what Jesus says. There is a reality, a deeper question, we must ask.

Am I even prepared for the things God is about to do?

Simon goes back out, trusting God’s word but having no idea what that would do. I wonder how often we go out because God says this, but lacking any sort of astonishment or awe of God and the things He is capable of.

Because, let’s be honest, too often when we go out expecting it leans too much towards expecting results rather than expecting God. We look for big movements rather than a big God. Which leads to a second question.

Does my astonishment lie in the One who did this or in the things He did?

Because astonishment in the things means I get excited over the number of people or the number of dollars rather than watching someone I have spent seven years proclaiming truth seemingly fall on deaf ears suddenly have an aha moment.

Luke 5 challenges us in two ways, the second of which I’ll dive deeper into soon. First, am I astonished in the One who moves mountains, who calls fish out of the deep, who heals, who sustains, who is Above All and In All.

Second, am I being obedient to a response but not prepared for a response? I think there are two very different things, and I think we so often miss it. The astonishing things God is doing are bigger than you or me or your local church or my local church or your city, state, country, etc. 

But for today, let us just pause to reflect.

Are we astonished by the right things?