Perhaps you feel very much like Peter and his fishing crew did in yesterday’s reading. Do you feel as if you have toiled all night and caught nothing? Perhaps you feel as though you are in a dead-end situation in your career. Or perhaps whatever you have been trying to do to save your marriage just isn’t working. Maybe your toil is in the area of your parenting—no matter how much effort you put into reaching out to your child, the relationship just seems to grow colder and more distant by the day.

My friend, now is not the time to give up, but to listen to your wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus. Hear Him. Rather than depend on your experience and expertise, lean in to Him. You are not alone in your boat.

Listen to Him and do exactly what He tells you to do. Our Lord Jesus told Peter to let down “your nets”—plural. Peter said, “At Your word I will let down the net”—singular (see Luke 5:4–5). It is no wonder the net began to break and Peter had to call for his friends to come and help him.

Jesus is your very present help in time of need. Whatever your struggle is today, you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is with you and knows exactly how to help you.

There are also people who have been toiling relentlessly, trying everything they know to get their lives right and win God’s approval. The more they try, the more distant they feel from Him. The harder they push, the more they feel that they consistently fail and disappoint Him. They are just as exasperated, fatigued, and frustrated as the fishermen who had labored all night and caught nothing.

My dear reader, if this describes you, I want you to know that God loves you even with all your imperfections. Yes, in all your failings, in all your mistakes, God still loves you! Come to Him just as you are.

But Pastor Prince, you don’t understand. Let me sort out my life first, then I will come.

My friend, no one tries to clean himself before he takes a bath. Jesus is the bath! Come to Him with all your inadequacies, all your addictions, all your habits, and all your hang-ups, and let Him do what He does best. Let Him save you and restore you to wholeness! Jesus will transform you with His perfect love.

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Today’s Thought

Jesus is my very present help in time of need.

He is with me and knows exactly how to help me.

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You that You are my very present help in time of need. Thank You for reminding me that You are always with me and that You know exactly how to help me. I acknowledge that I can’t clean myself up from the messes I’ve made in life. I turn my eyes away from my flaws, imperfections, failings, and mistakes, and just fix my eyes on Your love. I come to You just as I am and I know that You will save and restore me to wholeness. Amen.

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