Restored homes have always intrigued me. It’s incredible to witness experts take a property worn and torn from centuries past and bring it back to its original state.
Perhaps I love this process because it reminds me of how God works. Since the beginning, He has taken the old and made it new again. He has mended what’s been broken and has turned it into something beautiful.
He puts this restorative power on full display in John 21.
Here, we read about the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples following His resurrection. Ironically, He found them fishing, just like they had been when He called them. This shows us that amid the disciples’ discouragement over Jesus’ absence, they had drifted. Rather than accepting Jesus’ call to make disciples, they fell back into what was comfortable.
How often do we do the same? In our despondency, we settle for less than God’s best, not understanding His power to restore any life.
Thank God, He always meets us where we are. Verses 1-4 prove this when Jesus met the disciples where they were—fishing. He didn’t come to them to condemn them, but to restore them.
In verses 5-6, Jesus called out to them, “‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’”
Jesus’ instruction proves our next point: restoration requires obedience. I’m sure Jesus’ words somewhat annoyed the disciples. Maybe even embarrassed them. They had been fishing all night, and they knew what they were doing. Fishing was their trade, after all! Thankfully, they obeyed, demonstrating the next point: God’s restoration is supernatural.
After obeying Jesus’ instruction, the disciples pulled in a net full of large fish. Miraculously, even with so many fish, the net remained intact! There was no way the disciples should’ve caught or carried the fish—but God. In the same way, when God restores your life, His blessing will seem overwhelming, but He will grace you to carry it supernaturally!
The end of the story is my favorite part: when God restores purpose. Here, the story focuses on Peter—the disciple whom Jesus had previously called to be the rock of His first church. But Peter had lost sight of that calling. He had denied Jesus three times and was seemingly stuck in a state of discouragement.
In verses 15-17, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Every time, Peter responded, “Yes, you know I do.” Jesus replied, “Then feed my lambs.”
It’s significant that Jesus asked Peter the same question three times. By doing so, He gave Peter the chance to receive full restoration for all he’d lost the three times he had denied Jesus. And He did! Peter’s life was fully restored, and He lived out the purposes God had for Him.
Friend, no matter how far you’ve drifted, know that like Peter, you’re never too far gone. God is still a God of supernatural restoration!
