Jesus Fills Our Empty Net with Hope and Purpose

“When they got to land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Jesus told them. John 21: 9-10 (CSB)

Amid so many changes in my life, I felt empty. I had forgotten what it was like to dream and make plans. I had forgotten that Jesus will always fill our empty net with hope and purpose.

It had been a long journey of ups and downs. Days of striving. Nights of tireless toiling.  All our dreams had been shattered with just one swipe of a pen on a medical chart. So many things had changed. 

It had been a long night of fishing that had produced nothing for their labor for Peter and his friends.  All they had to show for their effort were tired muscles, heavy eyelids, and an empty net. (John 21:3)

Peter’s net wasn’t the only thing that had to be dragged back in that boat that morning but so did Peter’s heavy heart.  Honestly, I have a good idea of how Peter felt that morning on the beach. The racing thoughts. The endless questions. The disillusioned heart. The melancholy mood.  

He had known fishless nights before as a fisherman but somehow this time it was different. What once satisfied, no longer did. The old familiars no longer felt the same. To have known what it was like to fish with Jesus, everything now paled in comparison.  And to have experienced all the miracles and provision He had made to others, now left his heart aching for his own. The futility of going back to the same ordinary thing seemed meaningless. 

Sometimes we can spend a lifetime dragging our heavy empty hearts around searching for purpose in this world. But we will never find fulfillment anywhere but on the shores of grace warmed by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Taking our portion from the bread of life and experiencing a rebirth as the catch of the day.  Fulfillment and peace for a world-torn soul can only be found at an intimate table dining with Jesus. Even after all these years, there are times I need to be reminded of that. 

Why? I often fail to wait on Jesus when life gets confusing. I get anxious. I tire of waiting so I venture off from His plans for me following after my plan for success.  Instead of waiting for instructions on what I should do next, I do what Peter did. I try to go back to what was familiar. I go in search of old normals and past successes. I can also let fear drive me away from all the new things God has planned for me. 

Jesus is always doing something new in our life. We will learn there will be times when old familiars will not fill our cup again as it once did. God will reinvent us along the way and His plans won’t look like anything we imagined for ourselves.  We won’t be able to explain it away and we won’t get him to change His mind. He will bring new normals, fresh perspectives, and an entirely new invented plan of purpose into our old net.  And one thing He will never do is leave our net empty. For that I am eternally thankful. He will always fill our empty net with hope and purpose. (also read my Finding Joy When Life Hurts post @https://ruth216girl.com/finding-joy-when-life-hurts)

“When they got to land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Jesus told them. John 21: 9-10 (CSB) What he was saying was this, “Come to my table. Bring what you have and join me. Let’s talk. I have a plan.”  Friend, He is telling us to do the same. 

Peter found Jesus waiting for him on the shore that morning with a new plan and purpose for his life. We will find He waits to fill our nets to the full never leaving them empty.  Jesus plans to fill us with new dreams, new goals, and an endless supply of hope and purpose. Over and over again, we will discover that He never runs out of good things for us.

If you are finding you are coming up empty lately, I invite you to venture a little closer to shore to cast your net. Peter cast his net on the right side at Jesus’s command and found a fullness he had never dreamed possible. 

I invite you to join me as I cast my net again, friend. This time at His timing where He tells me to cast. He has promised us He will replenish our net and fill it full of amazing things. I can’t wait to see what we catch. 

See you at the shore and in the field, 

Susan