So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
JOHN 21:5-6 (NASB)
How often have you been in distress, and busied yourself with some household job that needs doing? I remember when I worked in a nursing home in North Fife, the laundry room was in the loft with a window that looked over the peaceful River Tay. No one liked doing laundry duty, but often it was taken on by those looking for some personal time during the night shift – it was a haven of rest that I used often, it was an effective prayer opportunity. In today’s portion of Scripture Peter and the other disciples needed to do some work to soothe their hurting hearts, thus they went fishing.
Despite their extensive knowledge of fishing their coast, they labored all night and caught nothing. As the morning sun rose on the horizon they saw a man on the shoreline (Jesus) who stated the obvious fact that they did not have any fish. He knew their boat was empty. I see the humor in it, that these experienced fishermen caught nothing, but Jesus tells them to just throw their nets over the side…immediately catching a seriously big haul of fish! They had tried on their own strength and failed, but with Jesus, they were successful.
Dear reader, in whatever you are doing today, make sure that Jesus is involved in it. Whether it be mundane everyday household duties or work, you need His presence. Especially in Christian service, be it evangelism, preaching, or writing a devotional blog, Jesus has the answers – without Him, you will not catch many souls for the Kingdom.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
