Have you ever had a time in your life where you were waiting for God to move? For the past couple of months, I know exactly what that pain, anxiety, and worry feels like. The waiting has weighed heavily on my mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Since May of 2024, I have been searching for a job. I finally got two job offers for internships. The one job, which was working alongside National Park Service staff, felt like it was God’s open door. I thought to myself, This is it! My waiting season is finally over.
A few days after I received the offer, I had a phone call with one of the supervisors. He mentioned, “You’ll be visiting other parts of the park. You may have to travel to D.C, West Virginia, and some parts of Maryland to get visuals for a project that you are working on. You’ll be driving one of our government vehicles.”
My heart jumped with anxiety. The job offer that I had believed to be God’s open door was causing me so much uneasiness. I was constantly battling doubts. After rejecting the job offer, my mind was still clouded, and I was majorly heartbroken. I repeatedly thought, Why would God wave what I have dreamed of for so long right in front of me? Why does there always have to be a catch with an open door?
Maybe you are experiencing something similar in your life. Maybe you have been waiting for God to move, but you feel like God has put your problems on hold. Maybe you feel like God is prolonging your healing process and breakthrough.
What do we do when we experience a waiting season in our lives? How can we continue to trust and have faith in God when all the doors are shut? How can we truly believe in our God when the floodwaters seem to keep rising?
We can learn something from the calling of Simon, Andrew, James, and John in Luke 5:1-11 (NLV):
While Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, many people pushed to get near Him. They wanted to hear the Word of God. Jesus saw two boats on the shore. The fishermen were not there because they were washing their nets. Jesus got into a boat which belonged to Simon. Jesus asked him to push it out a little way from land. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Push out into the deep water. Let down your nets for some fish.” Simon said to Him, “Teacher, we have worked all night and we have caught nothing. But because You told me to, I will let the net down.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish, their net started to break. They called to their friends working in the other boat to come and help them. They came and both boats were so full of fish they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he got down at the feet of Jesus. He said, “Go away from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.” He and all those with him were surprised and wondered about the many fish. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised also. They were working together with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for men.” When they came to land with their boats, they left everything and followed Jesus.
What I love most about the calling of Simon is the attitude change from doubt in Christ to confidence in Christ.
Simon and the others had been out fishing all night, and they didn’t catch anything. Can you imagine fishing for a living and then working all night to not catch any fish? Talk about needing patience. I would be losing my mind not catching anything, and I would imagine Simon felt the same. When Jesus then told Simon to put the net back in the water, Simon probably thought Jesus was crazy.
Take notice of how his perspective shifts. Notice how Simon’s attitude shifts from doubt to full wonder and awe. Simon’s heart and mind are filled with pure joy because Jesus performed a miracle right before his eyes.
Could it be that Jesus is testing our own faith and trust in Him as He did with Simon? Could it be that Jesus is waiting for us to put our trust in Him and say, “If it’s not your way, Father, it will not be my way.”
After this miracle, Jesus called Simon to fish for men instead of actual fish. He called him to proclaim the Good News of Christ. Simon, Andrew, James, and John all immediately walked away from their lifestyle of fishing to follow Jesus.
Can you imagine giving up your lifestyle and walking with Christ?
God could be calling us to step away from our current lifestyle and walk with Him. God could be calling us to let go of our greatest desires and live for Him instead.
We might need to be like Simon and let our own nets down to see what new opportunities we can catch with Jesus. If we do this, I believe we would receive a lot more opportunities than we can ever imagine.
I pray that we all open our hearts and minds to what God has to say. I pray that God moves in our lives and makes a beautiful change that surpasses our understanding, just like He did for the disciples. As Simon had that little ounce of hope left to let down his net for Jesus, I pray that we have that one ounce left to let down our nets for Him too.
Dear Father God, this waiting season I am experiencing is hard. I can’t walk alone. I need you, dear Father, to help me, lead me, and guide me in the right direction. I need you to speak in my life. I want to give up my own ways, let down my net, and trust in you. With my little ounce of faith and hope left, I ask you to lead the way. I want to witness you moving in my life for the better. Today, I ask you to move in my life just as you moved in Simon’s life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Reflection Question:
What are some things that you can let go of and give to God during this waiting season? Write them in a journal, and pray over these things.
Morgan Faith
Morgan Faith is a non-denominational Christian author and blogger. She has written and self-published two Christian living books so far and plans to write more in the near future. In all of her books, blogs, and videos, she enjoys incorporating personal experiences for readers to grow, learn, and relate in their own personal lives and relationship with Jesus Christ. Morgan always desires to apply biblical concepts to modern day living to help each individual leave feeling filled and inspired. Check out Morgan’s two published books, Having a Heart for Jesus and A Time to Be Real: 100 Day Prayer Devotional on Amazon.
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