"Come, Follow me,' Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
"...A farmer went out to sow his seed." Matthew 13:3
"...A net was let down into the lake and caught all kinds." Matthew 13:47
As Christians we play a specific role in the kingdom. Sometimes, it is frustrating because our human nature is so results oriented we want to know the impact we have had.
In these parables, Jesus reminds us, like the fisherman and the farmer, there is only so much we can do. Success in the Kingdom requires or participation, but that alone does not guarantee it.
A fisherman must make sure his net is whole, get in his boat, go to where he believes the fish are and cast out the net. He then must pull it in to retrieve the catch. Skipping any of these steps only guarantees his failure. Doing them all does not guarantee success. He cannot force fish to swim into the net.
Farmers play the same role. They clear the weeds, till the soil, plant the seeds and protect the crop the best they can until they harvest the field. They cannot make the seed sprout or the sun and rain come to help it grow. Clearing, planting and tending are required for a crop, but does not guarantee the crop will occur.
In the end, God will bring the harvest and the catch, but He uses us to cast and to sow.