As we all know, many of the disciples were fishermen, and Scripture reveals that the job was difficult, referring to two specific times when the fishermen ended up with empty nets:
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Matthew 5:5).
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing (John 21:3).
In both instances, you can sense the exasperation. They worked hard. They took the time. They were patient. They followed their training. Yet nothing happened. They came up with not a single thing to show for their efforts.
How often do we experience the pain of “empty nets,” so to speak? We spent hours on a project at home or at work that ultimately did not work out. We followed all the directions on filling out an application for something and then heard no response. We asked someone to join us for church or Bible class, but they never came. Empty nets.
But what these verses in Scripture show us is that we should not let any “empty nets” stop us from moving forward in our lives, especially as Christians. Christ came to the fishermen at their lowest, with empty nets in their hands, and told them to cast out into the water one more time, which they did. The result in both cases was a miraculous catch of fish so abundant that the nets could barely hold the haul.
With Jesus in our lives, we need to remember that “empty nets” are never the end of the story with our Savior. Any disappointment we may experience along the way cannot compare to the overflowing gifts Jesus grants to us in his time. We must always remember that Jesus sees us in our distress and will provide us in the right way with more than we need to carry on. Our work through the hardships only sweetens our moments when we realize that it is Christ alone who fills our empty nets, supplying us with everything necessary to serve and follow him, as the disciples did.
