Out in a fishing boat, empty and exhausted, Peter discovered the wonder of God’s second chance. The crowd on the beach was so great that Jesus needed a buffer. So he preached from Peter’s boat. Then he told Peter to take him fishing. The apostle-to-be was tired; he had fished all night. He’d caught nothing. He was dubious. What did Jesus know about catching fish? And maybe Peter was self-conscious. People packed the beach. Who wants to fail in public? But Jesus insisted. And Peter relented. “At your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).
This was a moment of truth for Peter. He was saying, I will try again– your way. When he did, the catch of fish was so great the boat nearly sank. Sometimes we just need to try again with Jesus in the boat. Failures are fatal only if we fail to learn from them.
