ARE YOU READY?
Micah Smith
Today's Scripture: “‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:10b-11, ESV
Theme: God isn't waiting for you to feel ready — He's looking at your heart and calling you anyway.
TWO KINDS OF READY
The opening scene of The Aeronauts tells you everything you need to know about its two main characters — and honestly, about a tension most of us carry around inside ourselves.
Amelia Wren, the pilot, shows up late. Not fashionably late — dramatically late. From the moment she arrives, she's working the crowd, feeding the energy, giving the people what they came for. She's a showman, and she knows it. Ready?!?! She was born ready.
James Glaisher, the scientist, isn't thinking about the crowd at all. He's checking instruments. Double-checking his check lists... then running through his list one more time. He's not going anywhere until every variable is accounted for. His version of ready looks a lot like not moving.
Most of us have been both people at different points in our lives — charging forward on adrenaline and confidence in one season, paralyzed by the need for triple validation in another. Sometimes both in the same week.
A couple of years ago, I got a job offer that looked, on paper, like a home run. Better pay. Bigger role. More visibility. The kind of move that looks great on LinkedIn. I went full James Glaisher on it — ran every variable, weighed every scenario, asked every question I could think of. And when all of that still didn't produce a clear answer... I said “no.” I told myself I wasn't ready.
I've wrestled with that decision ever since. Was it wisdom or was it a moment of self-doubt dressed up as wisdom? Honestly — I'm still not sure. But here's what I've landed on: my purpose isn't tied to a single decision I made in my life.
THE CALL DOESN'T WAIT FOR THE CHECKLIST
When Jesus called His first disciples, He didn't run background checks, ask for a resume, or review their qualifications. He walked up to fishermen mid-shift and said, essentially: “Come with me.” And they went. No training program. No orientation. No checklist.
What's striking is how unready these guys actually were — and the Bible doesn't try to hide it. Peter was impulsive to a fault. Thomas had a chronic doubt problem. John 7:5 tells us that even Jesus' own brothers didn't believe in Him at first — the same brothers who would go on to become prominent leaders in the early church.
God has a long history of calling people before they feel ready. The call doesn't come after you've sorted yourself out. The call comes — and then the sorting happens. The question was never whether the disciples were ready. The question was whether they were willing.
Make it Personal: Where are you waiting to feel ready before you say “yes” to something God might be calling you toward? Is your hesitation wisdom — or fear dressed up as wisdom? And if you've already made a decision that you're still second-guessing: what would it look like to trust that God isn't finished with your story yet?
Pray: Father, thank You for calling people who aren't ready — because that's most of us, most of the time. Forgive me for the moments I've hidden behind preparation when what You were really asking for was obedience. Help me trust that You don't need me to have it all figured out before I take the next step. And for the decisions I'm still carrying — help me release them, believing that my story isn't determined by any single chapter. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Read: Luke 5:1-11, John 7:1-5, Joshua 2:1-21
Weekly Memory Verse: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1, ESV