Failing in order to succeed

“Have you caught any fish?” John 21:5 NLT

Sometimes God uses failure to get our attention and draw us closer to Him. In John 21, the disciples “went out in the boat, but…caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, ‘Fellows, have you caught any fish?’ ‘No,’ they replied. Then he said, ‘Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!’ So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It’s the Lord!’” (vv. 3-7). Notice three things: (1) Jesus can do what you can’t do. As long as you think you can handle things on your own, He will let you try. As long as what worked for you in the past is still working, you won’t reach for His help. It’s only when you run out of answers you discover: “‘You will not succeed by your own strength or…power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6 NCV). (2) God can do more than you can do. He told the disciples, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” It didn’t sound right, but by obeying Him they entered a level of blessing and abundance they never dreamed possible. (3) God wants a relationship with you. After eating breakfast with the disciples, Jesus told Peter, “Take care of my sheep” (John 21:17). Now fishermen don’t take care of sheep—shepherds do! So what just happened? Jesus introduced Peter to his true calling—and He will do the same for you!

The Word for You Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from Celebration Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2024