3 Things Peter Teaches Me About Responding To God

So, there are a few conversations that happen fairly regularly in my house, and here they are.

Charlie!

What?

Any other of you have a child that responds to you like that? This one usually happens when he is “busy” doing something else and doesn’t want to be distracted. How about Yes mom? Or how about this conversation…

Can you put your pants on?

No, they are inside out. I can’t do it.

He does know how to fix his clothes, he is five.

Or how about this?

Can you pick up your toys?

Why?

Um, because I said so?

Responding to God

We aren’t much different than my children, are we? We are too busy when God calls our name, we make excuses, and we want to know why, before we commit to obedience.

The way Jessica's five-year-old responds to her and the way she responds to God have a lot in common… can you relate? Click To Tweet

Okay, so I really do understand that my children are just curious sometimes, and that is why they ask “why”, but I am pretty sure in my children’s case that the “why” comes a lot of the time because they won’t want to do what I ask, because of reasons x, y, and z.

I am guilty of all three of these scenarios when it comes to my relationship with God, and can I just tell you how thankful I am that God is so patient with me to endure my busyness, lack of faith, excuses, and questions.

You Want Me To What?

There have been so many times, and I mean so many times, that there is a part of me that doesn’t like what He has asked me to do. I end up responding to God with questions like:

You want me to reach out to the woman who hurt me greatly and tell her how thankful I am for her?
You want me to ask for forgiveness from the person who hurt ME?
… seek peace in chaos?
… give up things that I love?
… you want me to fit “this” into my schedule?
… trust You when I can’t see the road ahead?
… try again?
… Fill in the blank…

This year, the answer to those questions (and more) I admit has sometimes been What? Why? And No.

Related Post: What To Do With The Things That Make You Ask “Why God?”

Yes, for someone who is said to be “so obedient”, my answer when responding to God is sometimes No. My answer has less to do with what He wants me to do, although that does sometimes come into play, but the why He wants me to do it.

Peter’s Encounter with Jesus

I wish my answer to Him was more like Peter when Jesus tells him to cast down his nets. Jesus was sharing the Word of God with a crowd of people listening, as there were fishermen cleaning their nets, their boats being nearby. They had worked hard all night and caught nothing. They were cleaning up to go home. Plain and simple, they were busy.

But Jesus gets into the boat belonging to Peter and asks him to pull out a little from shore.

Now, as far as I know, this is the first time these fishermen are meeting Jesus. They obviously see that He has a crowd listening to Him (so He must have something good to say), but I have to wonder if Peter thought to himself that he didn’t want to be bothered. Why can’t He just continue teaching from the shore? Can’t He see that I am packing up to go home?. Or maybe he notices this Man teaches with authority and is curious about the One who he will call “Master” in a matter of minutes, and that is why Peter does as Jesus says. 

I also wonder what Jesus was sharing that day. Was it trusting in God, and not circumstance? Was it believing that His word will come to pass? Was it having faith when things seemed impossible?

I don’t know. But then Jesus asks something more from Peter. He tells him to go out into deeper water, and let his nets down “for a catch”. Now Peter and his friends hadn’t caught anything all night. Not a thing. He was cleaning up to go home. And here is Jesus (who mind you Peter wasn’t “following” at this point) telling him to do it again, for a catch.

And Peter says We have worked hard all night, and haven’t caught anything. But because you said so, I will let down the nets.

Responding To God With A Willing Heart

Now I don’t think (and I could be wrong) that when Peter says that they had worked all night and hadn’t caught a thing he said it out of disbelief, I bet he was just stating the obvious. They hadn’t caught anything, and even so, he was going to do what Jesus said, because He had said so.

So, Peter lets down his nets, and they caught such a large number of fish that the nets began to break.

Peter didn’t really know Jesus at this point, yet He did what was asked. I know Jesus, and I can be slow to respond in an obedient manner.

But that is what I want for myself, and that is what I want for us. That when God calls our name, we drop what we are doing and say Here I am, ready and willing.

That when He gives us something that seems impossible, when we walk through a storm, when we face a giant, we keep our eyes on Jesus, and say I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength.

And when He asks us to follow may we quickly reply Because You said so, I will.

Join The Conversation

We would love to know what has been the hardest thing God has asked you to do this year, and how has your answer affected your faith, and how you will respond to Him in the future?

When God calls my name, I want to be ready and willing to drop what I'm doing and say, "Here I am." Click To Tweet