The Daily Devotional Podcast

Risen - 11 | John 21:1–6

• Waypoint Church

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This reflection shows how in seasons of uncertainty we often return to what is familiar, yet Jesus meets us there and reveals His presence in the ordinary. It invites us to recognize His voice in those moments and trust that He is near even when life feels unclear.

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“May the Lord bless you and keep you — and may His presence guide you this week.”


SPEAKER_00

Today I'll be reading John twenty one verses one through six. Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there Simon Peter, Thomas, nicknamed the twin, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebede, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, I'm going fishing. We'll come too, they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they 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. After something significant happens, life rarely feels clear. Sometimes you might experience a strong sense of direction, confidence, a decent feel of what comes next. But often what follows is uncertainty, a lack of clarity, a question that lingers beneath the surface. What now? That's where the disciples find themselves in John 21. They've seen the risen Jesus. They know the tomb is empty, everything has changed, and yet in this moment they return to something familiar. I'm going out to fish, Peter says, and the others follow. It feels more like they're filling the space with something they understand. Fishing is what they know. It's steady, predictable. It gives them something to do while everything else feels unsettled. They fish all night, and they catch nothing. Effort without result, movement without progress. A long stretch of time that feels unproductive. At daybreak, Jesus stands on the shore. They don't recognize him at first. He calls out, Friends, haven't you any fish? No, they answer. And then he tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and they do. Suddenly the net is full. The moment seems to jog their memory, a familiar setting, a familiar instruction, a familiar outcome. And in that moment something inside them begins to shift. Jesus has not been absent. He's been present, even in the ordinary, even in the uncertainty, even in the return to what felt familiar. This is often how he meets us. Not only in the moments that feel spiritual or significant, but in the quiet spaces where we are simply trying to figure out what comes next. The question is not whether we've drifted too far or done something wrong by stepping into the familiar. The question is whether we will recognize him when he calls from the shore. Before I close in prayer, here's a question to wrestle with.