Lesson five: Stand on the promises of God. In their previous fishing attempt, the disciples were trusting in their own experience and ability. But this time they were trusting in Christ’s promise: ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch’ (v.4 NIV). Jesus didn’t specifically say, ‘Peter, if you go fishing with me, I promise you a big catch.’ He didn’t need to say it because Peter realised that when Christ told him to go fishing, and then got into his boat, and then told him exactly where to put down the net, there was no way it was going to come up empty. Peter trusted God and expected Him to act. He expected Him to keep His promise. When we get God’s presence in our boats, God’s plan in our heads, and God’s promises in our hearts, we can’t fail. But we might be saying to God, ‘That sounds great, but right now I’m defeated by the problems I’m experiencing. I’m having some hard times, and I’m struggling to trust You.’ If we’re feeling beaten by our circumstances, here’s something we can do to help us rebuild our trust in God: read the Bible, find a specific promise from Him, and start claiming it. When we start expecting God to act, we’ll find that His promise will inject new hope into our situations. Just because we haven’t solved the problem doesn’t mean there’s no answer. With God, success often begins at the point of failure, and it’s after we’ve ‘fished all night and caught nothing’ that He steps in. So today, be encouraged and don’t give up. Try again, but this time do it with Jesus in your boat, and He’ll make all the difference.

What Now?

Start a collection of Bible promises that speak to you and bring you comfort. Keep them so you can refer back to them whenever you need help to trust God more.