I’M GOING OUT TO FISH / JOHN 21:3

(KJV) John 23:3

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

We have all faced moments of paralyzing uncertainty. You finish a major life chapter, experience a massive shift, or endure a season of waiting, and the burning question hits: What do I do now?

In John 21:3, we find the disciples trapped in this exact emotional space. Jesus had risen from the dead. The world had changed forever. Yet, the blueprint for their immediate future remained unclear. Standing on the shore of familiarity, Simon Peter speaks for the group:

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”

It is easy to misinterpret this moment. At first glance, it might look like Peter and the disciples were quitting, abandoning their high calling to become “fishers of men,” and retreating to their old lives.

But a closer look reveals a deeper, much more relatable human reality.

The disciples were not turning their backs on Jesus. They knew He was alive. However, they had not yet received the command to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4; Acts 1:5). The Great Commission had not yet fully launched.

In the meantime, life demanded action. These men had families to feed and daily needs to meet. Returning to the boats was not an act of backsliding; it was a matter of practical necessity. They did the only logical thing they knew how to do while waiting for clarity: they went to work.

When you do not know what the next steps look like in your career, your relationships, or your faith, doing the next necessary thing is a holy act. God does not expect you to sit in frozen isolation while waiting for a grand revelation.

There is dignity and purpose in returning to your daily routine, taking care of your family, and managing your current responsibilities.

The beautiful twist in John 21 is that Jesus met them right there in their routine. He didn’t find them in a temple; He found them on the water, cooking breakfast on the shore, ready to redirect their empty nets into an abundant harvest.

If you are in a season of waiting, keep moving forward with the daily tasks in front of you. Trust that the same Jesus who met the disciples on the lake will meet you in your ordinary routines to reveal His extraordinary plans.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for meeting us in the middle of our uncertainty. For every reader standing on the shore of a new season, unsure of which way to turn, we ask for Your peace.

When we feel tempted to worry about the future, remind us of Your faithfulness. Give us the strength to faithfully manage the daily duties right in front of us. We trust that even when we do not know what is next, You hold the master plan.

Meet us in our routines, direct our steps, and fill our empty nets according to Your perfect timing.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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1. MY LORD AND MY GOD / JOHN 20:28
2. DO NOT HOLD ON TO ME / JOHN 20:17
3. JESUS APPEARS TO MARY / JOHN 20:16
4. A NEW TOMB / JOHN 19:41
5. IT IS FINISHED / JOHN 19:30
6. WINE VINEGAR / JOHN 19:29
7. DEAR WOMAN HERE IS YOUR SON / JOHN 19:26
8. WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR / JOHN 19:15
9. THE SIXTH HOUR / JOHN 19:14
10. POWER … GIVEN TO YOU FROM ABOVE / JOHN 19:11
11. I FIND NO BASIS FOR A CHARGE / JOHN 19:4
12. TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH / JOHN 18:37
13. MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD / JOHN 18:36
14. THE CUP / JOHN 18:11
15. THE GLORY THAT YOU GAVE ME / JOHN 17:22-23
16. THAT ALL OF THEM MAY BE ONE / JOHN 17:21
17. I SANCTIFY MYSELF / JOHN 17:19
18. SANCTIFY THEM BY THE TRUTH / JOHN 17:17
19. THEY HAVE OBEYED YOUR WORD / JOHN 17:6
20. ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 17:3
21. JESUS’ PRAYER JOHN 17:1
22. THE FATHER HIMSELF LOVES YOU / JOHN 16:27
23. TAKING FROM WHAT IS MINE / JOHN 16:14
24. HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH / JOHN 16:13
25. CONVICT THE WORLD / JOHN 16:8
26. IF I GO I WILL SEND HIM / JOHN 16:7
27. THEY WILL PERSECUTE YOU ALSO / JOHN 15:20
28. GO AND BEAR FRUIT / JOHN 15:16
29. REMAIN IN MY LOVE / JOHN 15:9-10
30. ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH / JOHN 15:7
31. LIKE A BRANCH THAT IS THROWN AWAY / JOHN 15:6
32. REMAIN IN ME / JOHN 15:4
33. EVERY BRANCH / JOHN 15:2
34. WE WILL … MAKE OUR HOME WITH HIM / JOHN 14:23
35. I AM THE TRUE VINE / JOHN 15:1
36. HOLY SPIRIT / JOHN 14:26
37. HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE ME / JOHN 14:24
38. WE WILL … MAKE OUR HOME WITH HIM / JOHN 14:23
39. WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS / JOHN 14:21
40. I WILL COME TO YOU / JOHN 14:18
41. THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH – WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU / JOHN 14:17
42. I WILL ASK THE FATHER – COUNSELOR / JOHN 14:16
43. IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL OBEY / JOHN 14:15
44. ASK IN MY NAME / JOHN 14:13
45. GREATER THINGS / JOHN 14:12
46. I AM THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE / JOHN 14:6
47. I WILL COME BACK / JOHN 14:3
48. MY FATHER’S HOUSE / JOHN 14:1-4
49. LOVED PRAISE FROM MEN / JOHN 12:42-43
50. KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES / JOHN 13:35
51. LOVE ONE ANOTHER / JOHN 13:34
52. AT A LOSS TO KNOW WHICH OF THEM HE MEANT / JOHN 13:22
53. WASH ONE ANOTHER’S FEET / JOHN 13:14
54. UNLESS I WASH YOU / JOHN 13:8
55. WASH HIS DISCIPLES FEET /JOHN 13:5
56. LOVED PRAISE FROM MEN / JOHN 12:42-43
57. THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE / JOHN 12:39-40
58. DRAW ALL MEN TO MYSELF / JOHN 12:32
59. PRINCE OF THIS WORLD WILL BE DRIVEN OUT / JOHN 12:31
60. WHOEVER SERVES ME / JOHN 12:26
61. HATES HIS LIFE IN THIS WORLD / JOHN 12:25
62. SON OF MAN … GLORIFIED / JOHN 12:23-24
63. MARY … POURED IT ON JESUS’ FEET / JOHN 12:3
64. FOR THE SCATTERED CHILDREN OF GOD / JOHN 11:52
65. THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT / JOHN 11:44
66. JESUS WEPT / JOHN 11:35
67. DEEPLY MOVED IN SPIRIT / JOHN 11:33
68. I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE CHRIST / JOHN 11:27
69. I AM THE RESURRECTION / JOHN 11:25-26
70. STAYED WHERE HE WAS TWO MORE DAYS / JOHN 11:6
71. JESUS LOVED MARTHA AND HER SISTER AND LAZARUS / JOHN 11:5
72. SICKNESS … FOR GOD’S GLORY / JOHN 11:4
73. THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH / JOHN 10:28
74. YOU ARE GODS? / JOHN 10:34
75. THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH / JOHN 10:28
76. MY SHEEP LISTEN TO MY VOICE / JOHN 10:27
77. I KNOW MY SHEEP / JOHN 10:14-15
78. I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:11
79. THE THIEF COMES … I HAVE COME / JOHN 10:10
80. I AM THE GATE / JOHN 10:9
81. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:1
82. THOSE WHO SEE WILL BECOME BLIND / JOHN 9:39
83. THEY THREW HIM OUT / JOHN 9:34
84. WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED / JOHN 9:3
85. BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS BORN, I AM / JOHN 8:58
86. HE IS A LIEAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES / JOHN 8:44
87. IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER / JOHN 8:42
88. YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED / JOHN 8:36
89. EVERYONE WHO SINS / JOHN 8:34
90. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE / JOHN 8:32
91. IF YOU HOLD TO MY TEACHING / JOHN 8:31
92. I PASS JUDGMENT ON NO ONE / JOHN 8:15
93. I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD / JOHN 8:12
94. NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU / JOHN 8:11
95. IF ANY ONE OF YOU IS WITHOUT SIN / JOHN 8:7
96. GAIN HONOR FOR HIMSELF / JOHN 7:18
97. JESUS HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED / JOHN 7:39
98. AS THE SCRIPTURE HAS SAID – STREAMS OF LIVING WATER / JOHN 7:38
99. GAIN HONOR FOR HIMSELF / JOHN 7:18
100. IF ANYONE CHOOSES TO DO GOD’S WILL / JOHN 7:17
101. IT HATES ME / JOHN 7:6-7
102. FEAST OF TABERNACLES / JOHN 7:2-3
103. JESUS HAD KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING / JOHN 6:64
104. EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD / JOHN 6:54
105. THE FATHER … DRAWS HIM / JOHN 6:44
106. MY FATHER’S WILL / JOHN 6:40
107. I WILL NEVER DRIVE AWAY / JOHN 6:37
108. I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE / JOHN 6:35
109. MIRACLES / JOHN 6:1-2
110. DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE WROTE / JOHN 5:47
111. ACCEPT PRAISE FROM ONE ANOTHER / JOHN 5:44
112. YOU DILIGENTLY STUDY / JOHN 5:39-40
113. THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD – RISE TO LIVE – THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL / JOHN 5:29
114. HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF / JOHN 5:26
115. HEARS … BELIEVES – WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED / JOHN 5:24
116. MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD / JOHN 5:18-24
117. PERSECUTED HIM / JOHN 5:16
118. STOP SINNING / JOHN 5:14
119. THE MAN WAS CURED / JOHN 5:9
120. THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS / JOHN 5:5
121. SIGNS AND WONDERS / JOHN 4:48
122. CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:36
123. SURPRISED TO FIND HIM TALKING WITH A WOMAN / JOHN 4:27
124. TRUTH / JOHN 4:24
125. WORSHIP … IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH / JOHN 4:23-24
126. SAMARITANS WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW / JOHN 4:22
127. WATER … ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:14
128. SAMARITAN WOMAN / JOHN 4:7
129. WHOEVER REJECTS / JOHN 3:36
130. LOVED DARKNESS INSTEAD OF LIGHT / JOHN 3:19
131. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD / JOHN 3:16
132. JUST AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SNAKE / JOHN 3:14-15
133. THE WIND … THE SPIRIT / JOHN 3:8
134. BORN OF WATER / JOHN 3:5
135. DROVE ALL FROM THE TEMPLE AREA / JOHN 2:15
136. SIGNS / JOHN 2:11
137. CHOICE WINE – HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK / JOHN 2:10
138. WINE – THEY HAVE NOT MORE WINE / JOHN 2:3
139. YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN / JOHN 1:51
140. CEPHAS … PETER / JOHN 1:42
141. THE FIRST THING ANDREW DID / JOHN 1:41
142. WILL BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / JOHN 1:33
143. LAMB OF GOD / JOHN 1:29
144. GRACE AND TRUTH / JOHN 1:17
145. THE WORD BECAME FLESH / JOHN 1:14
146. BORN NOT OF … HUMAN DECISION / JOHN 1:13
147. RECEIVED … BELIEVED / JOHN 1:12
148. THE WORLD DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM / JOHN 1:10
149. GIVES LIGHT TO EVERY MAN / JOHN 1:9
150. LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS /JOHN 1:5
151. LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN / JOHN 1:4
152. WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING / JOHN 1:2
153. THE WORD / JOHN 1:1
154. GUIDED BY GRACE ABOUT

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog post! May the words inspire and uplift all who read them. Your support and interest mean the world to me, and I’m grateful for every moment you spend here. Stay tuned for more, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!” Blessings, Margarita & Stace

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