Back Into Deep Water
September 20, 2026
““When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’””Luke 5:4 to 5 NIV
Finding courage to obey when disappointment has made us reluctant to try again.
Lord Jesus,
Some directions are difficult because they lead toward places where I have already been disappointed.
Simon knew the water.
He had worked through the night, used the skills he trusted, and returned with empty nets.
Then You told him to ἐπανάγω (epanagō).
To put out again.To return to deeper water.To move away from the safety of the shore.
I understand his hesitation.
Past disappointment can make familiar waters feel dangerous.
What once demanded effort now demands courage because I remember what happened before.
There are places where I have tried and failed.
Prayers I have prayed without seeing the answer I hoped for.Relationships where vulnerability brought pain.Assignments where faithful effort did not produce visible fruit.
When You direct me toward those waters again, help me distinguish wisdom from self-protection.
You are not asking me to deny what happened.
Simon named the empty night before he lowered the nets again.
Teach me to bring You both my experience and my obedience.
I can say, “This did not work before,” and still say, “Because You say so.”
Give me courage that does not depend on optimism.
Let it rise from confidence in the One who is speaking.
If You are calling me deeper, loosen my attachment to the shore.
If You are asking me to try again, keep yesterday’s emptiness from deciding what is possible today.
I will lower the nets once more.
Not because I trust the water, but because I trust You within it.
Amen.
To put out, lead back, return, or move toward deeper water.
In Luke 5:4, ἐπανάγω (epanagō) describes Jesus directing Simon away from the shore and back into the water where he had just experienced failure. The command required more than physical movement. It required renewed trust. Biblical courage sometimes means returning, at Christ’s direction, to a place disappointment taught us to avoid. Obedience does not erase past pain, but it refuses to let that pain have the final word.