Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.
Do you fish? My father taught me fishing, but it never caught me. I gave up fishing when I couldn’t go with him.
Jesus had fishermen disciples. After the resurrection, Peter thought denying Jesus disqualified him from serving Jesus, so he said to his friends, “This disciple-of-Jesus gig looks done. I’m going fishing” (21:1-3).
I’ve sometimes been like Peter, when I’ve thought, “I’m no good at following Jesus. I need to try something else.”
So Peter and friends spent an unsuccessful night fishing. In the morning, a stranger on shore shouted, “Hey, how’s the catch?”
“No luck, we haven’t caught anything” (21:5).
“Try the other side of the boat,” the stranger suggested.
Really? Why would professional fishermen take random advice from a land-lubbing stranger? But they did, and they caught a huge netful of fish.
Then they got it.
Remember three years ago, after another fishless night, when Jesus borrowed Peter’s boat to preach a seaside sermon. After, Jesus said to Peter, “Why don’t you row out and try fishing again?” (Luke 5:5).
Peter replied, “After working all night? Fish aren’t likely to come in the daytime.” But he rowed out, dropped his nets, and landed a boatful. That’s when Jesus invited Peter to a new vocation, fishing for people (Luke 5:8-11).
Now, three years later, with Peter’s net full of fish again, John said, “That’s not a stranger on the shore. That’s Jesus!” Peter jumped into the water and swam to shore to meet Jesus who was cooking bread and fish.
Then Jesus had an amazing suggestion for Peter and the others. He said, “You fishermen look like a crowd for breakfast. Bring some more fish to cook” (21:10).
I like that in Jesus. This wasn’t a time to sit at his feet like Mary did, while Martha slaved in the kitchen. This wasn’t the time to have a deep talk with Peter about his denials and about his future. This was a time for action. A crowd for breakfast. Time to collect and cook more fish.
Let’s pray.
O Jesus, Peter denied you and went back to fishing. He thought he was done being a disciple, but you weren’t done with him.
You showed up after his night of failed fishing. You gave him success in the morning. You showed him that his heart wanted you, not fish.
And so for us. After long nights when we despair of spiritual life, call us, come to us in the morning. Help us, like Peter, to swim to you through broken dreams and repeated failures.
We set out to be your apprentices, Jesus, but we didn’t have the courage and wisdom and patience to succeed. But following you changed our heart. We love you, and not much else matters.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube.
