³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (John 21:3 ESV)

Simon Peter was probably actually defeated in this part of scripture. He had denied Jesus three times, just as predicted and he was most likely very dejected by this. Even though Jesus had already risen and appeared to the disciples, Simon Peter decided he was going to go fishing.

Metaphorically, that was exactly the job Jesus had in store for him, but He had to do some mental mending before that could happen. In subsequent verses Jesus takes Simon Peter through a type of renewal process to help him work through his issues. Jesus knew that this would be the only way to proceed.

Does God need you to go through some form renewal process so that you can go on with what He has in store? Do you need a corrective emotional experience? Many of us do. We need some pivotal experience to move beyond our stupor. But these do not always just happen, we need to seek them. We need to find ways to connect us back to the source of life and all good things. We need to put the darkness behind us.

We need to go fishing.