The Timely Help

“But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore:..” – John 21:4

Amidst their toilsome tasks, amidst the cold of the night. Amidst their fruitless labour, amidst the journey of no significance. Amidst sweats of unending labour, stood the Lord asking, “children have you any meat ?” He knew they are at their wit end. He knew they are off track. He knew better, that staying a little farther away from them, could plunge them deeper into nothingness. He knew they needed a timely help. Help, and yes timely help might be needed by just anyone. We all faces the challenges of deviation – going off track on a self-assigned mission. Our love for fishes could sometimes blind us to the wrong path we are in. Our engagement could sometimes take the master’s place in our heart. Our desire to be like others could also have hindered us from focusing on our perfect example – Christ. Following Christ now becomes burdensome because our hopes which are hinged on human faculties and endeavours, are now crashed. Simon Peter and his fishing crew were plagued with many a problem; fruitless labour, loss of direction and focus, following others and not the lord.

“Faulty vision births only faulty mission” – YAGLOW

Help from fruitless labour – “They went forth,..; and that night they caught nothing “. “But when the morning was come”. The Lord stood right there on the shore. He came with a timely solution to help with their time-wasting efforts.

Help for redirection – They were on a wrong assignment though equipped with the right skills. Moreover, their faulty vision birthed a faulty mission. They fished at the best time known to them as fishermen, but the wrong assignment nullifies their knowledge. They probably had been fishing on the wrong side of the ship. 🙂

Help for re-focussing – They needed to re-focus on being a fisher of men and not what they were initially used to – fishing for fishes. Their love needed to re-focused on the master, and not on others or other things.

Help to follow the master – They needed to stop following others and start following the master. Their commitment to follow should not be hinged on the steadfastness of others, but rather an act born out of a purposeful heart. Only then could they remain firm and unwavering in the faces of many challenges and the falling away of many. They need to live by Christ’s opinion alone and not that of others.

Where do you come into the picture? The Harvest is truly plenteous. Keep fishing, until I write you again.