God’s Voice Turns New Beginnings Into New Life

by Eric Elkin

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

— Luke 5:4

September is a season of new beginnings. How ironic for me to describe a month where leaves start to die, and grass fades to brown as a new beginning. Yet, young people are leaving home and heading off to college across the country. These emerging adults are beginning a new phase in their lives. They are headed out into the “deep water,” taking the next step in maturing into independence.

A question arose among a small group of us the other day. We had all watched our own children or others we played a role in nurturing head off to college only to come home with an empty net. The question we pondered was how long should you make a person “stick with it” before allowing them to bail on the experience? Do you make them stay a semester? An entire school year? Or do you let them cut their losses early and save some money?

College is a difficult transition for most young adults. No matter how far students travel, they enter a completely new environment. Every face is unknown, there is no established social order, and after years of climbing to the top of the pecking order, you are back to being a freshman in the blink of an eye. In this new place, typically, you don’t have a home away from it all. Instead, you are placed in a room with another strange face equally nervous as you.

Our group agreed on what needed to happen for a positive college experience. Making new friends is essential. Avoid getting caught up in a romantic relationship early in your college experience. Get involved in campus activities that expand your circle of friends. Be open to new directions in your life. The thing you planned on studying might not be for you. All these things are great advice, but it doesn’t help anyone figure out when it is okay to pull up the nets and head back to shallower waters.

“I found I had less and less to say, until finally, I became silent, and began to listen. I discovered in the silence, the voice of God”

— Soren Kierkegaard

The challenges of entering a new stage of life are not limited to college. Any young adult leaving high school and entering the next phase of life will face these same issues. They will search for identity, career, joy, and meaning away from their home of origin. All the while still feeling the pull to go home where things are familiar. And wrestling with a fear of failure if things do not work out.

The voice of God is often an overlooked resource for this age group. Parents fearful their children will find themselves in dangerous places will emphasize the morality of the Christian faith. Faith leaders will emphasize belief — Do you believe these things? I am not talking about these kinds of things. I am talking about listening for and hearing the voice of God speaking to us in non-sanctuary places. Do we teach our children to listen for this voice outside of church?

Like most 18 to 20-year-olds, I wanted nothing to do with church when I was in college. I went out of my way to avoid all things religious. Yet, looking back, the voice of God was directing and shaping me on my journey, continually leading me out into deep waters. Hearing God speak was a big reason I graduated from college. I did not hear this voice while sitting quietly in prayer. God spoke to me in the marketplace. God’s wisdom came to me through the words of professors, employers, and friends who listened to God themselves.

In our reading, Simon Peter was not looking for a religious experience. He was working when God found him. Simon Peter follows an invitation to go out into deep water. By listening to the voice of God, he experiences something profound. This is a story we should consider more deeply. Are we listening for the voice of God in our workplace? If we did, we would discover how quickly new beginnings can become new life.

Click to read Luke 5: 1-11