Have you ever entered a new year feeling quietly disappointed
Not hopeless, just tired
Like you tried, you worked, you prayed, yet the nets still came up empty
If that is where you find yourself, I want to gently sit with you in Luke 5 verses 1 to 11, because this passage speaks so tenderly to women who feel like nothing has started yet.
“Jesus saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.”
Luke 5 verse 2
Jesus Notices What Is Empty
Jesus was preaching by the Sea of Galilee when He noticed two empty boats. He stepped into one, the boat that belonged to Simon Peter, and asked him to push out a little from the shore so He could continue teaching.
At first glance, it may seem random. But as I sat with this passage in prayer, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that Jesus knew exactly whose boat that was.
Before Peter ever became a disciple
Before the miracles
Before the calling
Jesus already saw him.
Peter had worked all night and caught nothing. Jesus knew his effort. He knew his exhaustion. He knew the disappointment Peter was carrying quietly into that morning.
And friend, He knows yours too.
This is why before reading Scripture and meditating on it, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us see beyond the words on the page. We ask Him to give us understanding, to show us what God wants us to learn in this season, and how His Word applies to where we are right now.
Jesus Fills What We Offer Even When It Feels Empty
After Jesus finished preaching, He said to Peter,
“Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Luke 5 verse 4
Peter answered honestly, not with polished faith or perfect confidence,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have not caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5 verse 5
And when he did, the nets filled so abundantly that they began to tear.
What stood out to me most is this
Jesus never left Peter’s boat empty.
Peter offered Jesus what he had. An empty boat, tired hands, and a willing heart. Jesus filled it beyond what Peter could have ever produced on his own.
Scripture reminds us,
“Christ fills everything in every way.”
Ephesians 1 verse 23
Jesus fills emptiness. Always.
God Uses What He Has Already Placed in Your Hands
Throughout Scripture, God rarely introduces something new before He redeems what is already there.
Peter was a fisherman, and Jesus called him to be a fisher of men.
Moses had a staff, and God used it to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams, and God used both that gift and years of preparation to position him as a leader in Egypt.
God used what they already carried.
And He does the same with you.
That quiet gift you have overlooked.
That skill you thought was ordinary.
That season that feels unproductive.
God is not waiting for you to become someone else. He is inviting you to place what you already have into His hands.
When we allow God to use what He has already given us, He does far more than we could ever imagine or accomplish by ourselves.
A Gentle Word for This New Year
As we step into a new year, you may feel like you did not accomplish what you hoped last year. You may feel as though things were carried over, unfinished, or delayed. Or perhaps you feel the pressure to make this year count.
Let me gently remind you
God is far more interested in your obedience than your outcomes.
Just like Peter, your role is not to force fruit, but to trust the voice of Jesus when He asks you to go a little deeper.
I do not know which part of this story will speak to you most. But I pray that as you read this, the Holy Spirit meets you where you are and gives you clarity for this season of your life.
God sees you.
God knows your effort.
And God never wastes a surrendered season.
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