At Thy Word With Reverend Matthew WatleySample

Day 1: Pressing in for the Word

The phrase “At Thy Word” comes from Simon Peter’s powerful response to Jesus in Luke 5:5. After fishing all night and catching nothing, Jesus asks Peter to try again, at the wrong time of day and in the same waters that had already failed him. Instead of leaning on his own experience, Peter simply says, “Nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.”

It’s a statement of surrender and faith; choosing obedience over logic, trust over fatigue, and God’s direction over human understanding. This four-day devotional is an invitation to live with that same kind of faith: to take Jesus at His Word, to move when He says move, and to trust that His Word still carries power to change everything.

Before Peter ever made that statement, something else happened first. A crowd gathered around Jesus by the Lake of Gennesaret. The morning air was filled with expectancy as people pressed close, eager to hear His teaching. They weren’t there for entertainment or miracles; they were hungry for the Word of God. They wanted a word from God that could reach the weary places in their souls.

That same hunger still draws Jesus close. When we press in to hear Him, we make room for His voice to cut through the noise of our world. The crowd’s desperation created an atmosphere where Jesus could speak, and in response, He stepped into Simon’s ordinary boat. In that moment, what was simply a workplace for Simon became a platform for God’s Word. An everyday object turned into an instrument of divine purpose.

God still works that way today. He takes what’s common: our time, our homes, our skills, our platforms, and transforms them into tools for His glory. When we offer what we have, He uses it to reach others and to shape us in the process. A kitchen table becomes a sanctuary for family prayer. A conversation becomes a doorway to healing. A small act of obedience becomes the seed of a miracle.

The crowd pressed to hear the Word, and Simon lent his boat. Both acts reveal a truth we still need: transformation begins when we draw close to Jesus and make ourselves available to Him. The hunger of the crowd and the obedience of a fisherman remind us that revival often starts not in grand gestures, but in simple acts of faith.

So today, what would it look like for you to press in? What might you place in Jesus’ hands so that He can use it for something greater?

Reflection Questions

1. What does it mean for you personally to “press in” to hear God’s Word?
2. How can you cultivate a deeper hunger for His presence this week?
3. What simple thing might God be asking you to make available for His use?

Prayer

Lord, give me a heart that presses in to hear Your Word. Help me see that You can use even the ordinary parts of my life for an extraordinary purpose. Today, I offer You what I have: my time, my talents, my heart. Use it all for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.