Psalm 86

86 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

²Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

³Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

⁴Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

⁶Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

⁷In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

⁸Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

⁹All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

¹⁰For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

¹²I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

¹³For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

¹⁴O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

¹⁵But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

¹⁶O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

¹⁷Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

A fisherman lowers a net into calm water at sunrise on the Sea of Galilee while Jesus stands beside him, symbolizing faith and trust after a night of empty nets.

Nevertheless at Thy Word: Faith in the Midst of Empty Nets

by Fr. Dan Farley | Jul 5, 2026 | Trinity

Sermon Excerpt — Trinity 5
Luke 5:1–11
Have you ever worked hard at something, only to come up empty? Simon Peter knew that feeling well. After a long night of fishing, he and his companions had caught nothing. Exhausted and discouraged, they returned to shore and began washing their nets—resigned to failure.

It was in that very moment that Jesus stepped in and said, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.”

By all human reasoning, this made no sense. The night was over. The opportunity had passed. Yet Peter responds with remarkable faith:“Nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net.”

Those four words change everything.

Peter obeys—and the result is abundance beyond imagination. The nets overflow. The boats nearly sink. What began in exhaustion ends in overwhelming blessing.

This passage reminds us that faith often looks like simple obedience in difficult moments. Not when we feel strong or confident, but when we are tired, uncertain, and ready to give up. Christ does not wait for us to be perfect or prepared—He meets us in our weakness and calls us to trust Him.

Whatever “empty nets” you are carrying today, bring them to Christ. And then, like Peter, say: “Nevertheless at thy word.” Cast the net once more—and trust that He is faithful.