Simon knows Jesus enough to let Him step into his boat, having heard and seen Him in the area.  Jesus’ entry into Simon’s life is deliberate and progressive. That is, Jesus’ choosing Simon’s boat from which to preach to the swelling seaside crowd is intentional and wonderfully personal.

[Note: He still is “Simon,” not yet “Peter” when divine grace seizes his soul in such a life-changing way to give new meaning and definite direction.

Assuredly, God wants to enter deeply into all of our lives, to be the true center of our lives.

Like Simon, God often works patiently and persistently, enabling us to claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior as a result of His extended effort. Oftentimes God’s gracious working in our lives remains mysterious and we fail to recognize His presence and power in what seem to us rather ordinary good experiences. The beautiful moment we come to recognize God in a life-changing way however, we see that He actually has been readying us to receive grace and mercy every step of our way.