“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.” (Luke 5:1-6 KJV)
Whenever you encounter an adversity, please make sure you look around for an opportunity as well. Around every adversity is an opportunity or opportunities. This is true all the time and in every difficult situation. The timing of the opportunity may come sooner or later but they do come nonetheless.
Peter had a situation of “no show” with his fishing business on one particular day; most likely a weekend. Hence, he was in a fix here, because there was nothing to take home for family consumption and nothing to take the market for sells as well. But just as true as night and day, something happened; and it was another problem just nearby. It was a problem with Jesus’s ministry. There was no more space on dry ground for Jesus to preach from, because His ministry had really been expanded. So, He needed to find a platform to stand on the water, which now created a need for a boat. As the story tells, Peter’s boat was at the right place at the right time, but he had a choice.
Peter was already stressed, he was disappointed, his business was suffering some set-back, he didn’t know what to say to his wife, etc. Under this kind of circumstances, he is not likely to respond positively to any demand for help of any kind. But he chose to seize the moment and opportunity to do good. He responded to Jesus’s request for a platform for preaching.
I can’t even imagine what was happening in his mind by this time, but he responded positively. What he never knew was that it was for his glorious come back. It was an opportunity that came as an inconvenience. Peter caught a massive boat load of fishes without trying too hard, just by favour. One instruction and his fortune changed. Wherever and whenever you see adversity, just look around and you will see opportunities.
I decree the same grace for you in Jesus Name.