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The Daily Devotional
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Called from the Deep: Reoriented by Grace
“Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’” — Luke 5:10b
Introduction
The sun is rising over the Lake of Gennesaret, but the mood on the shoreline is far from bright. In Luke 5, we do not find the disciples in a posture of holy anticipation; we find them exhausted, frustrated, and cleaning their equipment. They have toiled all night and caught nothing. It is a scene of ordinary work and discouraging failure. The nets are being washed—a signal that the work is done, the effort was wasted, and it is time to go home and sleep.
It is precisely here, amid the smell of stagnant water and the grit of wet sand, that Jesus steps into the boat. This scene challenges a question we often ask ourselves: Where do we go to encounter God?
We tend to believe that to find God, we must go to extraordinary places—a silent retreat, a vibrant worship service, or a mountaintop sanctuary. We think we must step out of our lives to step into His presence. Yet, the Gospel of Luke reveals a surprising truth: God often prefers to meet us right in the middle of our ordinary, messy, and sometimes disappointing lives. He steps into the boat not when it is full of fish, but when it is empty.
Reflection
When Jesus enters Simon Peter’s boat, He begins with the mundane. He asks Simon to push out a little from the land so He can teach the crowds. It is a simple request involving wood, water, and labor. God meets us in the rhythm of our daily obligations—in the folding of laundry, the typing of emails, the commute to work, or the washing of nets. He does not wait for us to become "spiritual" before He approaches; He invades the common spaces of our lives.
However, the encounter does not stay on the surface. Jesus commands Peter to "put out into the deep" and let down the nets. Despite his professional judgment and fatigue, Peter obeys, and the result is a catch of fish so vast it nearly sinks two boats.
What happens next is profound. One might expect Peter to high-five his partners or calculate the profit. Instead, he falls at Jesus' knees. "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" he cries. Why this reaction? Because the sudden proximity of God’s power reveals Peter’s own brokenness. When we truly encounter the Holy, we don’t just feel happy; we feel a reverent awe that exposes our inadequacy. We realize that our "nets"—our own efforts to secure security, status, or happiness—are frayed. We see that we are not the captains of our own souls. This is not a moment of shame designed to crush us, but a moment of truth designed to heal us.
This is where the new direction begins. Jesus does not leave Peter because of his sin; He calls him because of it. He says, "Do not be afraid." The encounter reorients Peter’s entire existence. The massive haul of fish is no longer the point; the point is the One who commanded the fish.
Consider a moment in everyday life, perhaps at a kitchen table late at night. Imagine a parent looking over a stack of unpaid bills or agonizing over a fractured relationship with a teenager. The "nets" are empty; the effort feels wasted. The parent feels a rising tide of anxiety and failure—a sense that they are not enough. In that quiet desperation, they finally stop striving and whisper a prayer of surrender: "I can't fix this." Suddenly, a peace that doesn't make sense settles in the room. Perhaps a spouse offers a word of unexpected grace, or a solution arises that wasn't visible before.
In that kitchen-table moment, the focus shifts. The parent realizes that their security isn't found in a perfect bank account or a perfect family image, but in the sustaining grace of God. The anxiety (the empty net) turns into trust (the new catch). They don't just go back to paying bills the same way; they proceed with a "re-aimed" heart, operating from a place of reliance rather than control.
For Peter, the miracle wasn't the fish; it was the redirection. Luke tells us that after bringing the boats to land, "they left everything and followed him." They didn't stay to sell the fish. They realized that the direction of their lives had to change. They walked away from the greatest success of their careers to pursue the One who gave it. Encountering Jesus changes our trajectory. We move from fishing for temporary things to living for eternal souls, from seeking success to seeking the Savior.
Application
To walk in this new direction, we must practice noticing Jesus in the boat of our daily lives. Here are a few ways to cultivate that awareness today:
Ask a Question of Reflection: At the end of your day, ask yourself: "Where did I see Jesus in the interruptions today?" often, the "deep water" we are called to is an inconvenience we tried to avoid.
Take an Action Step: Identify one area where your "nets are empty"—a relationship or task where you are striving without success. Instead of trying harder, pause and ask Jesus to enter that specific struggle. Perform one act of service in that area (a kind text, a silent prayer, a completed chore) as an offering to Him, not a grasp for control.
Adopt an Inner Practice: Practice the "Pause of Surrender." When you feel the impulse to fear or control a situation, stop for ten seconds. Mentally "leave the boat" of your own understanding and whisper, "Lord, I will follow where You lead in this conversation."
Conclusion
We cannot manufacture a miracle, nor can we force a spiritual encounter. But we can live awake. We can wash our nets with an eye toward the shore, expecting Jesus to step into our ordinary days. The Good News is that when we feel most unworthy—when we, like Peter, want to say "Go away from me"—Jesus draws closer. He does not come to condemn our empty nets but to fill us with His presence. He invites us to leave behind the fear that drives us and to walk in a new direction: one where we are no longer defined by what we catch, but by Who we follow.
Prayer
Lord of the deep waters, we confess that we often look for You only in the spectacular, missing You in the mundane moments of our days. Forgive us for the times we trust in our own toiling and tangled nets rather than in Your command. When we are overwhelmed by Your holiness and our own weakness, help us to hear Your voice saying, "Do not be afraid." Grant us the courage to drop our defenses, leave behind our need for control, and follow You into the new direction You have prepared for us—a life of catching people with the net of Your love. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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