At your word

At Your Word (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Luke 5:5
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
 
Definition of toil: verb; work extremely hard or incessantly. | adjective; exhausting physical labor.
 
Toiling… physical, mental and spiritual… can be exhausting. You can toil and ultimately feel as if it were all for nothing. The question is, can you toil continually and feel as though you are at the end of yourself, but still hear the voice of God calling you to try once more? “I quit”, “I’m done!”, “I give up”, “I’ve got nothing left”. Then you hear the voice of God speak to you, “You must keep going.”. What is your response? “God, I have been going and accomplished nothing.” This statement is not a problem. God desires us to express ourselves and to be genuine in conversation with Him. God understands and, I’m sure, even expects us to grow frustrated in our seemingly fruitless toils. He is not surprised by this. What really matters for you and what really matters to God is what comes after. You forfeit the very power of God at work in your life if it is said this way, “God, I have been going and accomplished nothing. I won’t do it anymore.”, “I need to rest”, “I need a break”, “This season is too much”, “This isn’t for me”, the list could go on.
 
We can be assured with complete confidence that if the Lord of our lives asks us to do something, He will provide the means and the strength necessary to accomplish all that He calls us to. As missionary Hudson Taylor said it, “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” and Hudson Taylor knows a thing or two about laboring beyond the end of himself relying on the very power of God. “Supply” is not limited to physical needs but also includes emotional, mental and spiritual needs in order to carry on. But the key factor in the equation is “…done God’s way…”. This is why when He asks of you to do something that you feel is beyond yourself, or pointless, or just downright undesirable to do, the proper response, in order to see God’s power released into our lives, is “At your word I will”. Lord, at your word, despite my feelings, despite my emotions, despite how I view my circumstances, despite how many times I have tried before, but, Lord, at your word, I will. How many times have you missed God’s power in your life because you told Him no? Let the last time be the last time and then you will begin to see His power released into your life like never before. When the Spirit of the Lord speaks to you and ask you to act, you can be candid with the Lord, express yourself with Him, but always let it be finished with, “But at Your word, I will.”