“Sometimes You Gotta Go Fishing”

After the Apostle Peter blew it and denied the Lord, he found himself in a terrible place. He did the unthinkable—denied Jesus three times after boldly declaring he would die for Him (Matthew 26, Luke 22, Mark 14). Mark 14:31 even tells us that all the disciples were saying the same thing.

What heaviness and shame they must have felt.

Have you ever blown it—said or done something—and then felt crushed by guilt or shame?

Paul described that same struggle when he wrote, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want” – Romans 7:19.

And in verse 24 he cried out:

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

But then came the hope:

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!... Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 7:25a, 8:1

Why? For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). We serve a God who remains faithful—even when we’re not.

In John 21, after his failure, Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” The others said, “We’ll go with you.” Fishing was familiar. It gave Peter space to get his mind off everything—to process the pain of, “I blew it. I failed.”

Sometimes, we need to do the same. Go for a walk. Take a breather. Step back for a moment—not to run from God, but to refocus on Him. We may need to repent and simply have an honest conversation with Him.

They fished all night and caught nothing. Sound familiar? Sometimes in life, it feels like all our efforts fall flat. But then—Jesus showed up. He met them right where they were and even cooked them breakfast.

Jesus pursued these wounded men because He never gave up on them—and He never gives up on us. Maybe you need to hear that today. Maybe it’s time to give yourself a little grace. Our enemy loves to use shame to pull us away from the Lord. But Jesus? He invites us back—every time.

John 21:4-13 is beautiful:

But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They

answered Him, “No.”   And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work) and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So, when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. 

Despite his failure, Peter’s love for Jesus was undeniable. And I believe Jesus loved that moment—seeing His friend, this “rock;” who had nearly crumbled, come running (or swimming!) back to Him.

What’s the greatest command Jesus gave us?

“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” – Matthew 22:37

So yes—it’s okay to “go fishing” sometimes. Step away, reset, refocus. But let’s always come back to that number one thing: loving the Lord with all we are. If we keep that first, everything else will fall into place.

Let’s encourage each other in this walk of faith—especially when we fall. God isn’t surprised by our failures, and He never stops inviting us back and even pursuing us. Do you need to go fishing?

Blessings,

Tom and Joy Bollig