God does nothing without purpose. There are two things to say here about the purposes of God. Firstly, rarely does He state the purpose of a thing in advance. Most of the things He does are understood in retrospect. Secondly, we may never get to understand the purpose unless we obey His initial instructions. Obedience opens the door of understanding into the mysteries of God. In our previous meditation, we noted that Jesus asked Peter to launch into the deep, a commandment which he had every reason to ignore based on experience. When he obeyed, he saw the miracles of God. He was simply overwhelmed by the catch; so much so that he felt unworthy of it. That was when Jesus calmed him in the word of our text, and showed him the purpose beyond the catch. The catch was not just a way of compensating Peter, it was also to foreshadow a change of assignment from that moment. The fisherman would become fisher of men!

There is an inseparable link between the blessing of God and the call of God over our life. One will inevitably point to the other. Sometimes, God”s call comes first. Obedience to the call will produce divine blessing.

There is an inseparable link between the blessing of God and the call of God over our life. One will inevitably point to the other. Sometimes, God”s call comes first. Obedience to the call will produce divine blessing. At other times, God will bless and then show the reason why He has brought such blessing. This is what we have just seen in the case of Peter. When God places a demand, be diligent to obey.  If it is blessing that comes first, be humble to ask Him for the purpose attached to it. This is the only way to overcome the temptation of pride or abuse.