How to Trust God, Get Over Failure, and Try Again

When you read the book of Acts, you soon realize that Peter was one of the boldest leaders of the early church.

Nothing could get him down. He led countless people through darkness to find God, and his impact is still felt today.

But before there was the persistently faithful Peter, surrounded by thousands of changed lives, there was simply Simon, a tired fisherman who couldn’t catch a fish. He was ready to give up, until one day someone new stepped into his boat and showed him that the best of his life was yet to come.

Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

Luke 5:3-5 NLT

Simon Peter probably felt stuck and a little frustrated. He kept trying the same thing over and over again all night, and nothing happened. But Jesus pushed him to keep trying. Even when there was no reason to, even when hope seemed pointless, even when nothing had changed, Jesus called Peter to try again. And for whatever reason, Peter decided to trust Jesus.

And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

Luke 5:6-7 NLT

Just like Peter, we face choices every day to give up, settle for survival, and live a life of cautious self-protection, or take a risk and trust God. When we choose to trust God, we will see God do more than we could ever imagine.

Check out our new video highlighting this incredible interaction between Jesus and Simon Peter. For the rest of the story, listen to our Mini Quiet Time podcast episode, “How Do I Trust God and Try Again?“