February 19, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.”

(Luke 5.8-10)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

How many consider Jesus- “their friend”? How many Christ followers today have been baptized professing Christians since their early years? How many have known Jesus as Lord most all their lives? I have no doubt the number of positive responders is great. But how many could actually call Jesus “their friend” as Peter, Andrew, James and John and their other “companions” and fishing buddies? That number would be small and only possible in the first century when Jesus walked the earth. I would love to imagine what it was like to “grow up” with Jesus? They say that the best means of leading is empowering others to “know” for themselves the truth they believe. It is too easy for some leaders to just “know it all.” They do not build up those on their team to express and explore their own knowledge base. Doing so allows confidence to grow in what they know and didn’t think they knew it. It allows them to become a part of the process and solution instead of feeling like part of the problem. Was Jesus like this? He who is, was and will always be the Son of God, and thus omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, didn’t play dumb. Instead, He would have been wise. Countless times throughout all four gospels, Jesus urges those who come to recognize Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of David and Lord to not share that knowledge with others [at least not at that moment.] Rarely did they follow Jesus’ advice, but that is not the point. What He desired was for others to come and know for themselves what others were finding out. It is that mindset which led Philip to invite Nathanael to “come and see.” While he bore witness to Jesus being the one Moses wrote about and the prophets foretold, he encouraged Nathanael to discover it for himself. There was no sense of “believe because I say so.”

So what then of Peter who grew up knowing there was something different about his childhood friend and playmate, Jesus. Did he sense something in Yeshua the boy, the young man, the sometimes fishing partner, the collaborator who seemed to know more than He said and was just a bit different than the rest? Did he chalk it up to Jesus being a carpenter and stonemason’s son? Did he think it was because Jesus was from Nazareth and not Bethsaida? Did he think it was because Jesus was from the House of David or that he had been to Egypt? All these kinds of questions we have asked ourselves of one another at some point in time deciding who will and won’t be our friends. We may well agree that while Jesus may have seemed like “one of us” in His humanity, there was something different about Him because of His divinity. Was that a reason why He didn’t make such an issue before His baptism? Did He simply want to be relatable and get to know “His” people better? And would it explain why even when Jesus returned from His baptism with a different countenance, preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, when He left Nazareth behind and came to Capernaum and healed others including his mother-in-law, that he still didn’t put Jesus in that “God” category? All of those events happened to someone else.

It was one thing for Peter’s mother-in-law to be healed. She had recovered before, perhaps. It wasn’t a demon possession, perhaps. But then Jesus went beyond the limits of expectation because Peter was troubled himself about his own future. He had always been a fisherman. There were seasons when the fishing was not so profitable. He was an experienced tradesman on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Yet, on that particular day when Jesus had stepped into his boat as he may have done countless times in the years past, something different happened. Peter’s declaration of unworthiness was not simply about a miraculous catch. Peter was faced with a windfall that would force him to consider a change, a transformation. Would he now be able to do something he only dreamed about. Had there be a problem in his own life which had limited him physically, mentally, emotionally, fiscally so that his spiritual outlook remained on the perimeter? Could he had wished to do something other than fishing? Jesus heard Peter’s self-talk. They had been friends for some time. They may have shared dreams for self, family and future; for God and country. Jesus paid attention. Jesus pays attention. He hears our silent prayers and mournful laments. He brings us to a point of fulfillment when we least expect it. Jesus can and will exceed our expectations. He is more than a friend. He is our Savior and our God!

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.