Just as the Day was Breaking

Just as the day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach. (John 21:4)

John 21:1-9; Luke 5:1-7; John 14:18, 17:24; Ps. 30:5; Heb. 13:5

What Is God Saying?

The crucifixion is over. Christ is buried. The chapter is closed. His disciples waited until Peter, always the first to express his feelings and get moving, said, ‘I’m going fishing. That's my job, and how better can I take my mind off this sad turn of events?’ They failed in that attempt as well. They toiled all night and caught nothing. Things were bad! As dawn brightened, the shoreline became distinguishable from the water, and then what was that? A form, not a post, not a shadow, not a piece of driftwood, but a form, a person who said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat.’ John, who seldom spoke until he was sure, was the first to realize it. ‘Peter, it is the Lord!’ After the long and frustrating night, Jesus was waiting on the beach.

How Does This Apply To Us?

We have all had sleepless nights. Fears are exaggerated. Problems mount up. Wakeful nights can be so long and so lonely. Through the night, the disciples were at the lowest ebb of hope. But they found Jesus waiting on the beach at daybreak. He was already there. Trust in that through the night. ‘Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Ps. 30:5).

Pray With Me

Lord, I have known sleepless nights. Fishing in empty waters, I have become discouraged. Discouraged, I have grown tired, but I have never known a night so long and so dark that it did not, at last, yield to dawn. O Lord, teach me to wait on You when such nights come. May I have the faith of the psalmist who sang, ‘My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.’ May I have the reward of Peter, who saw Jesus standing on the beach just as day was breaking. The anxieties and fears in the night do not withstand the reality of your risen glory. When Jesus stood on the beach, he waited for those he loved to come to him. He is waiting for me. At daybreak, I come.

In the name of him who gives us the morning, Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

Prayer means coming to Jesus in the assurance that he is waiting for us. He is waiting to bless us with encouragement and instruction as he did for those who worked all night in vain. Our prayer may be out of a night when fear stalks like animated shadows, discouragement weighs our spirits, and doubt surrounds us like fog. Nevertheless, on the beach, Jesus is waiting.