September 14

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Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We are going with you also.’ They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing… Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. John 21:3,9

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🔊 Peter had been brooding about something and suddenly reached his decision – he would go and catch some breakfast. He had been struggling with the promise that God would provide for all his needs – but what did that mean in his immediate circumstances? The problem was that Peter was moving outside of trusting fellowship with God. It is not wrong to go out and work for a living! But it is wrong to move out in common-sense when God has promised He will provide. Peter laboured all night and caught nothing. The efforts of common-sense can yield no fruit if they contradict God’s declared will and promise. The same God who later told Peter to throw his nets on the right side of the boat – John 21:6 – had also kept the fish away from his nets all the night long. When they came to the shore, there was Jesus, in the same humility that He displayed throughout His earthly life. The risen, glorified Son of God had returned to earth to prepare a breakfast for His friends. The event is full of very simple lessons. God will provide for us and be with us in our struggles and in the ordinary daily lives that He has given us. Peter was tired, frustrated and perhaps confused. But when Jesus stepped into the situation, there was refreshment and comfort. All was well. The Lord is indeed risen and glorified, but He has not lost any of His astonishing compassion. He is at home with us, and we should make sure that we do not act as if He didn’t care or was too exalted to be involved in our lives. He loves us.