I've been reading through Mark this week - a book that I have read so many times I've lost count. But this time around, I'm taking my time. It's not a race to the finish like it usually is. Seeing how many chapters I can get through, as if that would somehow make up for the days before that when I've not bothered to read any of it.

But this morning, as I was looking through some study notes, I noticed something that I've never considered before.

When Jesus calls Simon and Andrew from their fishing boats, bidding them to leave the nets and to follow Him immediately - that WASN'T the first time they'd ever seen Him. All this time, I thought that was their first encounter. It doesn't detract from how radical their actions were, or how demanding the call was to follow, but it does show that ground work is often needed when it comes to Jesus calling us to follow Him.

In John 1 v35-42, we see an earlier account of those disciples 'investigating' Jesus - they are starting to recognise that He is the Messiah and allow their intrigue to carry them towards Him - presumably only tentatively to begin with.

So when the day comes for Jesus to call them from their lives on the boat to begin fishing for men instead, a foundation has been laid.

They recognise Him more clearly because of those initial encounters.

I bet in that period between first and second meeting, Jesus was praying for them. Asking God to orchestrate situations and conversations so that He could start revealing the truth to them. He could have won them over, straight away. He chose to let it marinade for a while longer; perhaps for thoughts and concerns to get weighed properly while they were busy fishing or perhaps for them to spend a little while longer gradually becoming more captivated by Him.

The same goes with those people who you've tried to introduce to Jesus. His timing is so spot on for when they will see Him for who He really is. Trust that those small prayers and conversations that you persist in instigating are leading to something significant.

It clearly doesn't need to happen straight away.