I am going out to fish.
John 21:3
When facing uncertainties, there are three very common mistakes easily made by most.
First, there is panic. The human inclination is to depend upon and take security in what we see. But, when uncertain about what may come next, the soul tends to panic as the circumstance overwhelms us. Remember how Peter took his eyes off Jesus and panicked (Matthew 14:30)? If not careful, the same can become our reality, and like Peter we desperately cry out.
Second, there is fear. The soul’s panic, when not confronted, can turn into a spirit of fear – the most aggressive enemy to faith. In Deuteronomy 31:8, God said to His own, “do not be afraid.” Paul reminded Timothy, “you have not been given a spirit of fearfulness” (2 Timothy 1:7). Nonetheless, uncertainties can certainly result in fear.
Third, there is a return to the false comfort of former things. This response to uncertainties may be the most common of them all.
In the Gospel of John, the narrative reveals that during the critical moments after the resurrection, seven of the disciples met at the Sea of Galilee. What should fishermen do when facing the unknown, but return to the location they knew best – the water. Peter spoke up before the other disciples,
“I’m going out to fish,” and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So, they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” (John 21:3)
It was then at daybreak that Jesus appeared to His disciples for a third time after the resurrection.
The disciples had gone fishing. Now, proper study of this passage would caution against assuming that this return to the waters was totally negative, for the disciples did indeed stay active. And, they returned to the proximity where many of them first met Jesus. But, grammatically, the definite article in verse 3 references a specific boat, likely meaning one of the boats formerly used in their trade. So, in this sense, the uncertainties of the moment pushed them back to doing exactly what was most comfortable and familiar. Nonetheless, Jesus met them, performed a miracle with catching fish, shared breakfast, and then prepared them for what would come next.
In our Christian walk, we must not allow the uncertainties of the moment to push us back to former ways of living that no longer define our calling. When uncertainties hit (as with the disciples when they did not fully understand their place with Jesus after His resurrection), sometimes the easiest step to take is to do what we formerly knew best. But our highest calling in the midst of uncertainty is just the opposite: to wait for the new that God is about to do in the lives of His people.
So, today, in the midst of your own uncertainties, do not panic nor give in to fear. And do not falsely take matters into your own hands and return to former things in your life. Wait on Jesus. He will make Himself known. He will encourage you and prove to you that He is as much with you in the uncertainties as He was on the mountain top. So, wait for Jesus to show you something new in those moments when all things seem uncertain. For, something amazing is most certainly about to happen.
Blessings.
READ
Read John 21:1-14, and revisit that morning the disciples overcame their uncertainties.
