A Hard Night

Posted on May 15, 2020 in Uncategorized |

It’s been two months and you’re itching to get out! So were Peter, Thomas, and some others. They might have been hungry, they might have been looking for something to do, so they jumped in a boat and went fishing. They came up with nothing, again and again, and again. They were out of luck and tired having fished the entire night, and when they finally were willing to give in to being skunked, a man calls from the shore, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some [fish].” 
 
It was Jesus who called out to them and it was a lot of fish they caught. There wasn’t any doubt in the disciple’s hearts- it was their Savior and he was in their boat. No, he wasn’t there in person tossing the nets and hauling them in.  He was calling from the shore and the disciples listened but it was still Jesus who gave them a great deal of fish. They went through a hard night. This wasn’t last cast luck. It was their Savior providing them even more than they need.
 
Some of us might be going through a hard night right now. As hard as you cast your nets, there’s nothing that comes up. But many times those are the moments God uses to show us he’s in our boat.

As much as we try to make it happen he comes to us in completely unexpected ways. He calls to us from the distant shores of his Word reminding us that he hasn’t left us nor will he. And after the hard night of life we sail in this world, he has a great banquet prepared for us to enjoy with him on the shores of everlasting life.

 John 21:1-14

John 21:1–14

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

 

I greatly look forward to being with you all again soon!

God’s Peace

Pastor