Grace for Failures
“Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You”
John 21:17 (NKJV)Peter failed where everybody could hear him. Three times around a fire, with people watching, the man who swore he would die for Jesus said he did not even know Him. If anybody had a reason to believe his story was over, it was Peter. He had made the biggest promise in the room and broken it in the worst hour of Jesus' life, and he knew it.
But the risen Jesus did not meet him with a lecture. He met him with breakfast on a beach and one question asked three times: do you love Me? Three denials met three questions, on purpose. Jesus was not rubbing it in. He was unwinding it, denial by denial, until Peter answered the only way a failed man can: "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17, NKJV).
Notice what grace did there. Jesus did not pretend the denial never happened, and He did not shelf Peter for it either. He restored him in front of the same kind of fire where he fell, and then He handed the failure his assignment back. Feed My sheep. The man who fell at a charcoal fire would preach at Pentecost and open the door of the church to the nations. Your worst night is real, but in the hands of Jesus it is not the final word over your calling.
Grace for failures means the One who knows all things about you, including the parts nobody else saw, still knows you love Him, and He is not done with you. So bring Him the failure as it is this morning. Do not dress it up and do not hide behind it. He already knows. And knowing everything, He still has work with your name on it.
Day 21 of 30 on grace, and here is the practice for today: name the failure you keep replaying, out loud, in prayer, and then say Peter's sentence back to Jesus word for word: Lord, You know all things, You know that I love You. Then ask Him what He is handing back to you to feed, to build, or to finish.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know all things, and You know that I love You. Thank You for not shelving me at my worst moment. Restore me like You restored Peter, and put my hands back to the work You called me to. In Jesus' name, Amen.