Sometimes God uses failure to get our attention and draw us closer to Him. In John 21 the disciples ‘went out in the boat, but…caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”’ (John 21:3-7 NLT). We learn three things about Jesus in these verses: 1) He can do what we can’t. As long as we think we can handle things on our own, He’ll let us try. As long as what worked in the past is still working, we won’t reach for His help. It’s only when we run out of our own answers that we discover the truth of Zechariah 4:6: ‘“You will not succeed by your own strength or…power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD’ (NCV). 2) He can do more than we can. He told the disciples, ‘Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!’ It didn’t sound right, but by obeying Him they entered a level of blessing and abundance they never dreamed possible. 3) He wants a relationship with us. After eating breakfast with the disciples, Jesus told Peter, ‘Take care of my sheep’ (see John 21:17). Now fishermen don’t take care of sheep – shepherds do! So what just happened? Jesus introduced Peter to his true calling – and He’ll do the same for us.

What Now?

Think of a time when you experienced failure. What did your experience teach you about yourself and about God? Thank Him that our failures bring more opportunities for us to see His power at work.