“And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”
John 21: 6 (New King James version)
This verse is taken from the last chapter of the book of John. Does this verse sound familiar ? Before we get into that , here is a little background of the context of the verse. Peter had denied Christ, Christ was crucified , Christ rose and appeared to a few people two times. Peter was deeply saddened by his denying Christ. I mean who wouldn’t be. Picture this … You tell Christ that even if you go to prison or face death you will never deny Christ. And then you actually do deny Him. Not once, not twice, but thrice.
We read in the beginning of Chapter 21 that Simon wanted to go fishing and couple of the other disciples also joined in . We read in verse 3 that they went out and immediately got into the boat and that night they caught nothing. And in the morning Jesus was there standing on the shore and He asks them if they have any food and they answer no. And Jesus says cast the net on the right side of the boat.
Does this sound really really familiar to you ? Turn with me to Luke 5 : 1-11. We read here that Simon and the others had toiled the entire night but had not caught any fish. This was way in the beginning … This was while Simon was still a full time fisherman .
Isn’t the way God restores so amazing. When God called Simon this was the miracle that He did , we read in Luke 5:11 , “So when they had brought their boats to land they forsook all and followed Him.”
And now after all that time, after denying Christ, when Peter is feeling so low see how amazing the love of God is. He restores. Can you imagine what must have been racing through Peter’s mind when he heard the words ‘Cast the net on the right side… ‘ and they get a multitude of fish… We read that he plunged into the water :-)
We all make mistakes , most have us have backslidden at one point or the other. If you are feeling low , if you are feeling hurt , if you feel you have disappointed God , know one thing , our God is faithful to restore. He will restore. Will you take that plunge ?
Here is something interesting . We read in Luke 5:6 , “And when they had done this they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”
And we read in John 21:11 , “Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three and although there were so many, the net was not broken.”
God’s love and His ways are so incomprehensible. When He restores us its just so mind boggling. Such a Holy God looks at us with so much love. His mercies , His forgiveness and His love is just indescribable.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are feeling hurt, disappointed , sad … feel that you have strayed away from God , feel you have hurt Him… know this : He is faithful and loving to restore to a point where we are better than before. We will never be worthy of His love on our own. It is His blood , His love , He calling us His own, that gives us that authority. Its all Him !!
Do not ever doubt the love of God , or think that you have reached a point of no return. Lean not on your understanding. His arms are wide open. He is calling us to restoration ? Are you read to take plunge ?
God Bless
No comments:
Post a Comment