Waiting on the Lord

What a day! Only 7:30am and already things have gone haywire. Very little of what I have tried to accomplish is done to completion…very little! I’ve been bounced in cyberspace till I’m dizzy. The website for American Christian Fiction Writers says it doesn’t know me & won’t let me log-in again. I was there earlier this morning for reseach but NOW it doesn’t know me?? Nothing I tried to download from the site earlier loads where I can see it. I can’t find my 2011 calendar and I live by my calendar. And if all that wasn’t enough, and don’t you think it should be, I get caught up and have yet to finish a cup of HOT coffee! It gets cold as I plug away at one issue after another. I NEED hot coffee. That alone is enough to mess me up.

I could stomp my feet and blow a gasket but I’d still be struggling so I’m choosing to take a page from the lessons I got yesterday in my Bible ready instead. You might recall I was reading in John 21 about Jesus cooking fish for the disciples. It was about far more than the cooking of fish, of course. The part I am utilizing this morning is following the example set by the disciples when they decided to go fishing.

I can only imagine how devastated they must have been at the thought the ministry time with Jesus was over. They gave up everything to follow Him and now they waited, uncertain of their futures. John does not tell us why the disciples are back in Galilee, but in fact Jesus had told them to return there, where he would meet them (Mk 14:28; 16:7). They seem to have been sitting around, unsure of what to do, until Peter decides to go fishing and the others come along (v. 3). Peter is taking the lead, but what sort of lead is it? Some see this act as "aimless activity undertaken in desperation" or even apostasy, that is, abandoning the Lord and returning to their former life. Others think they went fishing simply because they needed to eat. The latter is probably true enough, but there is also a sense that Peter and the others, while not necessarily aimless and certainly not apostate, are doing what is right in their own eyes. The stories in this chapter reveal Jesus' bringing his disciples, especially Peter, more completely under his lordship. The disciples do not know what to do, so they do that which is necessary, and in taking this initiative they put themselves in a place where Christ meets them. Here is the simple truth, attested to by the saints, that when we are uncertain what to do we should simply do our duty and God will guide.

That night they catch nothing (v. 3), a graphic portrayal of barrenness. They have done what they thought was the right thing but experience utter failure. This prepares them to learn one of the central lessons of discipleship--apart from Jesus they can do nothing (15:5). Jesus has taught this lesson before, for "never in the Gospels do the disciples catch a fish without Jesus' help"! But they need the lesson repeated, as we often do as well. I know I do!!

So, since my puny human efforts have been thwarted all morning…I will go fishing, metaphorically speaking. I will go back to doing what I know to do while I wait for Jesus. I desire to be under His lordship completely…even though my actions do not always reflect that desire. Again, the simple truth, attested to by the saints, that when we are uncertain what to do we should simply do our duty and God will guide. Hallelujah!!!