Praying For PeaceSample

DAY SIX: The Fishermen  

There are some people who give up on their faith when things get hard. Yet if your relationship with Christ is real, you will find that going back to your old life simply doesn’t work. You will come up empty time and again. And here are the disciples, going back to their old life but coming up empty.

While all this is going on, Jesus is making breakfast. He could have done what Elijah did with the prophets of Baal and mocked them. He could have criticized them or even ridiculed them. But He didn’t. He chose instead to serve His distraught disciples.

Jesus deals with us in the way that our hearts need. He came to Mary with compassion. He walked with the men on the road to Emmaus, showing patience. And here, with His disciples, He comes to them as a servant.

Jesus responds to the disciples by saying, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” Jesus never did anything just for the sake of doing it. There was always a divine purpose to everything He said. And here, in this instance, He was trying to help His disciples get back to the place of victory.

When people are hopeless all around you, tell them who Jesus is; tell them what Jesus did. Tell them about the gospel— the victory over sin, hell, and death. Tell them about the newness of life that God promises to those who will trust in Him.

You see, that’s what the church looks like, ordinary people who believe in God, trust Him, and live in His peace in spite of their storms and their dark nights! We don’t know all the answers to life’s problems, but we know the One who holds the answers.

 These devotionals are excerpts from Carter Conlon’s book It's Time to Pray.