Good morning, Lord Jesus. All that I have and all that I am, I entrust to You today.
I am so blessed that the picture above is the view from my balcony on the Gulf this morning. Sitting here, looking at the vastness of the ocean and hearing the endless crashing of the waves, I opened my Bible and turned to one of my favorite “Beach” scenes. Here are my reflections and prayers The Holy Spirit gave me from this time with Him.
"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.'... They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, 'Children, you have no fish, have you?' Then answered Him, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you fill find some... When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea" (John 21:3-7).
In the face of persecution and out fear of crucifixion, Peter denied you three times after vowing he never would. Naked and ashamed, stripped of his pride and still hurting inside, he went back to fishing along with Thomas and the other disciples, I'm sure he still wrestled with forgiving himself for failing You. And in the dark night of his soul, he caught nothing.
But "just after daybreak," he heard Your voice again. Like the dawn of a new day, Your voice broke into the darkness of his soul. He remembered Your voice and remembered his past when he'd heard You call him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat before. He knew it was You. And though he had failed You, You had never forgotten him. So he jumped into sea and swam out of his self-pity to the shores of Your grace. And there by the warm fire of Your tender mercies and unfailing love, You restored his identity and released him into his destiny (v. 15-19).
Thank You Jesus, through my thoughts, actions and words in life I have denied you way more that 3 times. I also have wallowed in self pity. Yet You've never given up on me. Thank You for the dawning of every new day, when You remind me of Your faithfulness in the past and encourage me with Your faithfulness forever. Your love never fails and Your mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! Great is Your love! Great is Your power to redeem and restore! In the fire of Your spirit You confirm my identity as a child of God and release me into my destiny as disciple of Christ. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Family, with tears in my eyes as God is wrecking me right now, I pray you may experience the dawn of a new day, remembering the faithfulness of Jesus whenever you may struggle with failure or lack of faith. Maybe as a result of Covid you denied or s;ripped back in your relationship with Jesus and participation in His church. I pray you may hear the voice of Jesus calling you back to the shore of His grace, experience the endless waves of His mercies, soak in the oceans of His loving embrace, and emerge dripping in the water of life, redeemed and restored. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
In July I will step out of pastoring Toney UMC and pour completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.