Keep Casting Nets

“Trusting our try over the mystery of God’s miracles is not freedom; it’s fear. Paralysis and cynicism are ways we distrust Him and doubt ourselves. He’s (simply) asking us to show up, come out from behind our fear of failure. We have the choice whether or not we will do the vulnerable work of showing up. Participation, not perfection, is what’s so beautiful.”

– L. Tankersley

After fishing for hours upon hours and coming up with not even one fish, the disciples were ready to give up and call it a day. Just then, a man called out to the disciples from shore and asked, “Friends, don’t you have any fish?” The disciples responded in defeat to the man on shore with a simple “No.” The man then encouraged the disciples to cast out their nets just one more time on the right side of the boat. When they did, they were unable to haul in the net, because of the large number of fish within it.

It is then, after seeing the Fruit of their response did they realize Who had called out to them from shore and exclaimed, “It is the Lord!” 

As we continue on with our work, here at Hope Ministries, we recognize how we can truly only control our response to God’s will, not His results. Just as the disciples listened with obedience to the Lord, not knowing if they would catch a single fish or not that day, so will we with Hope Ministries, listen with fervent passion to the Lord’s beckoning call in our mission. 

Although we may not know the exact results of financial support this month, number of people we will heal in June, or amount of orphans we will serve, we do trust God by saying “yes” with an obedient response. We say “yes” to His call on our hearts towards Africa. We respond “yes” to His compassion He’s placed within us for the fatherless, and we respond “yes” to helping the low and the sick, not because we know or can control the end results. No, because we can trust and know that The Lord, Our Father, is a good and listening God.

He is loving. He is diligent, and He is gracious to all those who follow His Will.

May we not inhibit God’s acts in miracles out of own earthly fear, but may we trust, follow and obey every step of His beckoning call, even if that means going against the current and casting our nets out one more time in obedience to His tender, loving Voice.

With Love,

Hope Ministries