Daily Devotions
John 21:3-4 – The text for our devotion is from John 21 where Jesus, following His resurrection, meets the disciples on the seashore after they had gone fishing all night. It all began when Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” The other disciples said, “We’ll go with you. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at www.lhm.org.
“I thought I would find you here.” People say that to us when we’re in our favorite place. Whether someone is especially looking for you, or they simply went by and saw you, the sentence is still the same: “I thought I’d find you here.”
Let’s think about where that place where you can be found and, overall, I think we’re glad that people know it. It should be a place that says something about us—you truly love coffee, and it shows by the quality time you spend at the coffee shop every morning. You love to read, so the public library has a chair and table pretty much reserved for you every afternoon. Now these places don’t have to be on Main Street. You don’t have to sit by the front door or in a window. But you’re not hiding in a closet either. It’s just a place that says “You!” and people know it.
That’s the disciples in our text. They retreated to a place where we might have said to them, “I thought I’d find you here.” After the drama, the fear, and the excitement of the past days, the darkness of Good Friday, the stunning news of Easter, the disciples retreated back to fishing. If we could predict a place in which to find them, fishing on the Sea of Galilee would be the place. Imagine how that familiar work of fishing, the quiet of the night, the distance from the crowds, it would all be so welcome for them.
And then Jesus finds them. Of course, He knows exactly where they are, being the all-knowing God. But He acts as though He was simply a casual observer, wondering if they had any fish. No, they had nothing, and so He gives them the simple directions that lead to a tremendous catch. At that moment, the disciples realize it is Jesus. Just as He found them in a familiar place—fishing through the night—so they recognize Jesus as the only One who can make miracles like this happen. Just like that, they are found in the most ordinary place, and Jesus is found by them in the miracle that only He could do.
So where does Jesus meet us? Where are the places that are so predictable for us to hear His voice, to be found whether we are empty-handed in our life is overflowing? Of course, our times of worship are a great example. People seeing you in worship likely said, “I knew I’d find you here.” But we have other times and places where we are quietly found by Jesus. Perhaps it’s that time you spend praying as you go to or from work every day. Perhaps He reminds you of His presence when you quietly say grace before the meal, or those minutes of prayer as you go to sleep, or the first minute or two when you awake, and you go over the day.
Or perhaps you remember His presence when someone comes up to you in your favorite and says, “I thought I’d find you here.” The reason they’re looking for you will come clear in a few minutes. They weren’t just looking for you—they had a real need, and you’re the one they need. And what a chance for us to be the link between God and those in need of hearing His Word. It’s not really you or me that they’re seeking but the Savior. And they trust that we might repeat His words for them. We can remind them of what He’s done, His promises of care. And then the one who found you can say, “I knew I would hear Him when I found you here.” In so many places, in so many ways, God finds us, both to remind us of His presence and to help others hear Him today, too. Wherever we are today, God sees us and can say, “I knew I would find you.”
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, thank You that You have sought us and You have found us, that You’d never let us go. Remind us of Your presence with us each day and help others to see You as they find us in those places that are so predictable. We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola.
Reflection Questions:
1. For those who know you well, where might they guess to go and find you?
2. Where is the place God finds you with His Word?
3. When have you been honored to be a link between God and someone who needed His Word?