Economic Shutdown: Luke 5:1-11
An economic shutdown can look different in different times in history! In ancient times a worker would be paid his day’s wage each day and usually use that money to live that day. If you were a commercial fisherman, you might fish at night and sell your catch once day came and you provided for your family from that day’s catch of fish. If you didn’t catch any fish for a day you were involved in an economic shutdown.
Today, an economic shut down is losing your job, or your business going under. The current Covid-19 Pandemic is making its assault on the American economy resulting in an economic shut down for millions of our friends, family and neighbors.
Our government has passed a $2.2 trillion package to help fund the country and the affected people in their economic shutdowns.
Jesus ran into some commercial fisherman by the lake of Gennesaret who had an economic shut down. They fished all night without catching anything. That would result in an economic shut down for them and their families for the following day.
Jesus showed up as Simon and his partners were washing their nets after a night of fishing with no catch of fish. Jesus jumped in Simon’s boat and asked him to put out a short distance from the shore and Jesus sat down and taught the people on the shore from the boat.
After Jesus taught for a while, he told Simon to go into the deeper water and put the nets out for a catch of fish. Simon made it clear he had fished all night catching exactly nothing. He also told Jesus if He thought he should put the nets down for a catch of fish in deeper water he would let down the nets.
Simon brought his fishing boat into deeper water and put down the nets for a catch. What happened? He caught so many fish his nets began to break, and he had to call his friends out with the other boat to haul all the fish in from the catch!
Jesus got involved and so much for Simon’s economic shut down!
Jesus then told Simon and his partners they shouldn’t be afraid because from that time forward they would be catching men! Simon and his friends, James and John left their commercial fishing business and followed Jesus.
Jesus will take care of our economic shutdowns! Yes, even the one we’re involved in with this pandemic!
Back in 1973 I moved from Arizona to Fullerton, Calif., after my wife and I married, for the purposed of attending Bible College to prepare for full time ministry! We borrowed $400 packed everything in a small U-haul truck and pulled our Volkswagen behind it and moved to Fullerton. We rented an apartment, my wife found a job in about a week, and I enrolled in Bible College on the G.I. Bill.
That was early August of 1973. The government messed up the G.I. Bill payments and no money came until early 1974! It was an economic set back, though not quite a shut down. The college carried veterans like me until the G.I. Bill money came from the government, then I was able to pay the school, repay the bookstore for all my text books and we had a few dollars left over, allowing us to go out for Mexican Food and to a cheap movie!
The Lord had His answer to our Economic Shut Down!
Fast forward to January 2005. I had been in full time ministry for 30 years. and left our ministry, located in Porterville. My wife quit her job, we sold our home and moved to Arizona putting everything we owned in storage and stayed with my mother in law. An Economic Shutdown to be sure!
I came before the Lord and asked for Jesus to get involved and show me what to do next! His answer was to become an automobile salesman at Sanderson Ford. I worked there for 13 years and 4 months. It was the Lord’s answer to an economic shut down. My wife went to work as a classroom aid in a school for 13 years.
That was Jesus’ answer to that economic shutdown. If you get Jesus involved and do like Simon and follow His instructions, He always has an answer to your economic shut down. Stay rooted in the Bible and prayer and Jesus will guide you to His solution for any economic shut down, and that includes the one we’re in now! Tom West is a retired pastor working in advanced planning with Myers Funeral Service. You can reach him on his cell phone at 602.758.1168 for advanced planning or supply preaching.