“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (Luke 5:5-6, NKJV).
The year is gradually coming to an end, bringing with it some mixed feelings among the people of God. Some are rejoicing because they adjudged the year a good one because of the numerous favors they have received from God. However, some are not too happy with the way the year is ending with their expectations yet unmet. Most of us started off the year with high expectations of what we wanted to experience during the year. Some had hoped for some specific blessings from God and had during the year prayed and fasted for them. As the sun begins to set on the year, with their hopes still far from being realized, they are understandably unhappy about it. The Lord laid it in my heart to remind such persons that it is not yet over until it is over. There is still an opportunity for the eleventh-hour blessings. The eleventh hour is the latest possible time before it is too late for something to take place. The phrase, eleventh hour, has its origin in the Bible. It was used by our Lord in the parable of the vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16). The vineyard owner had gone out at six o’clock in the morning to hire some labourers to work for him. He did the same at various times during the day, with the last group being hired an hour to the close of the workday. Surprisingly, when it was time to pay the wages to the labourers, all the workers were paid the same amount irrespective of how long they worked. The last group to be hired, despite being brought on the job after some had put in eleven hours of hard work, they weren’t considered too late to receive the full benefit of a day’s labour. The eleventh hour is a window of grace. It is a time God steps in to pull a surprising miracle when all hopes were already lost.
Gratitude is key to joy, sanctification. Thank God in everything, not for everything. Approach Him with joyful hearts, celebrate His goodness in Jesus’ name.
The possibility of the eleventh-hour blessing should inspire the believer to keep hope alive. It should encourage the believer to make the last ditch of effort to accomplish the task before him expecting that God can come through for him at the last minute. Peter had experienced a frustrating failure at fishing having toiled all night without a single catch. He was washing his net in preparation to go home when Jesus showed up at the bank of the sea of Galilee. Our Lord asked for permission to use Peter’s boat to preach the gospel and Peter obliged Him. Done with the preaching He told Peter to “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter obviously did not see this as a worthwhile exercise being an experienced fisherman. He tried to explain to the Lord the futility of such an exercise but interrupted himself, saying “nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” Little did Peter know that Jesus was setting him up to experience an eleventh-hour blessing. He let down the net and every fish in the sea of Galilee considered it a privilege to be in Peter’s net. They caught so much fish that their net began to tear apart. They beckoned on their neighbours and both their boats were filled with fish. That was Peter’s best outing as a fisherman. It was an eleventh-hour blessing. The object lesson of the experience of this breakthrough at the dying moment by Peter and his team is that God is always on time and in time to deliver on His promises to meet our needs. He is never oblivious of our needs and never forgets our prayers. If He had His eyes on the sparrow, then you can be sure that He watches you.
The Bible is strewn with examples of people who experienced the 11th hour blessings. God promised to give a biological son to Abraham and Sarah, but the promise tarried so long that the couple lost every hope of having a child of their own. When God showed up in their house at the eleventh hour to reiterate His earlier promise, they laughed it off as an old joke. “Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (Genesis 18:10-12). However, the standing decree in heaven holds that no Word goes out of the mouth of God and fails to achieve the purpose for which it was spoken. Against all odds, Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac. Elizabeth and Zachariah had a similar experience in the birth of John the Baptist. Here was how Angel Gabriel broke the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Mary: “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:36-37). God can accomplish in a little moment what man cannot achieve in a lifetime. He is always in time and on time to actuate His word. The thief on the cross had thought that the gates of heaven had been shut against him eternally, until an opportunity smiled at him. Here was the simple prayer that turned the tide in his favour, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). This simple prayer of faith was enough to activate the force of the eleventh-hour blessing to work in his favour. “And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). All who knew him while he lived would conclude he went to hell, not knowing that he cashed in at the eleventh hour and was numbered among the saints. My friend, God is still thinking about you. Your blessings will meet you at an hour you did not expect. Prepare for your eleventh-hour blessing in Jesus’ name.
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