There will be a lot of early mornings at ponds and streams in the coming months. People showing up, putting in the time, and hoping for something to bite. And if you’ve ever done it, you know—it doesn’t always work out the way you want. Sometimes you wait a long time and come up empty.
Scripture actually meets us right there.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
— Matthew 4:19
Jesus used something familiar—fishing—to point to something deeper. He wasn’t just talking about casting lines into the water. He was talking about a life spent reaching people.
And that kind of life takes patience.
“We’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
— Luke 5:5
That’s a simple kind of faith. Not flashy. Not loud. Just obedience. Because you say so.
We all have moments like that—times where we’re doing our best, trying to be faithful, and not seeing much in return. But Scripture reminds us that faithfulness isn’t measured by immediate results.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9
So we keep showing up. We keep loving people. We keep trusting that God is working, even when we can’t see it yet.
Because at the end of the day, our confidence isn’t in what we can produce—it’s in who He is.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5
That’s where we place our trust—not in the outcome, not in the effort, but in God Himself.