Faith and Failure

When leading a job interview, I like to ask something along these lines, “Describe a time when you put a lot of work and effort into a project, and then someone criticized your work. How did it make you feel? What was your response?”

How we respond to failure or perceived failure says a lot about us. What do we do when we work hard but don’t see the results we hoped for? How do we act when we put forth our best effort, but others are critical? When things don’t go as planned, we can give up, pout, complain, or choose growth and perseverance. 

The disciple Peter is one of my favorite Bible characters. I love him because he is so relatable. He is passionate, which ends up providing him with a lot of high highs and low lows. The book of Luke records what is most likely Peter’s first encounter with Jesus. And you guessed it; it includes both low and high moments. 

We find Peter and the other fisherman cleaning their nets after a long night of fishing. The kind of night that consisted of a lot of hard work with no positive results, not even one single fish. Since the whole point of fishing is to catch fish, we can imagine Peter is frustrated.

At this point, Jesus comes along and asks for a favor. He uses Peter’s boat as a platform to teach the crowd following him along the lake shore. After he finished speaking, Jesus looked directly at Peter and said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4 NASB)

Peter expresses his hesitation but still lets down his nets. Soon, the nets are filled with fish. They are so full the Bible tells us they began to break. Peter’s fishing companions come along in another boat to help bring the abundant catch to shore. 

Peter’s obedience not only brought about a miracle, it also ushered in a new season. Jesus called him and his friends to follow Him. He explained, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” (Luke 5:10)

We don’t know for sure, but it is possible that if Peter had not let down his nets and headed into the deep water, he would have missed out on being a disciple. If he had clung to what was familiar and made sense, he certainly would not have experienced the abundant catch. 

Peter’s failed evening of fishing set the stage for Jesus to call him into a new season. He could have seen the failure as the end, but it was only the beginning. Despite his questions and doubts, he was willing to try again. If he had allowed his failure to shape his future, he would have missed the miracle. 

What about you? Is there an area of failure you are allowing to define your life? What if God wants to use your weakness to teach you, change you, and open new doors? We will never know if we are unwilling to “cast our nets” again. 

For me, “casting my net” again is challenging. I don’t like the thought of coming up empty. I fear that maybe nothing has changed. I worry that I will be disappointed. And I wouldn’t say I like trying things I am not sure will succeed. 

Peter’s story teaches us to move beyond our failures. It also teaches us to lean into the unpredictable. Reading the story thousands of years later, we already know the outcome. We know Peter won’t fail and that Jesus will call him to be a disciple. But Peter had no idea what would happen. He didn’t know why Jesus was asking him to cast his nets, and he didn’t know what the result would be. 

Peter didn’t step out in faith because he was confident of the results. He stepped out on faith because Jesus spoke. 

Today, you and I don’t have Jesus physically coming into our workplace and giving verbal instructions. But we do have the Holy Spirit who leads and direct us. Yet, too often, we allow our fears to keep us from trying new things. We are unwilling to take risks because we may fail. But if God is prompting us, we need to obey. When God is leading, we need to surrender. 

We cannot predict how God will work or what the results of our faith will be. But we do know that God responds to faith. Listen to Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”